ClubFloyd Transcript:Book and Volume by Nick MontfortAs played on ifMUD on April 2, 2011

The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction.
Below is a transcript of Book and Volume, written by Nick Montfort. Book and Volume was independently released in 2005, and was selected for inclusion in the Iowa Web Review, the Medi@terra International Art+Technology Festival: Gaming Realities 2006, and the Slamdance Guerilla Gamemaker Competition 2007 (though it was withdrawn from this last competition by Montfort in protest of Slamdance's exclusion of another finalist). You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting the ifWiki.WARNING! Below you will find a transcript of people playing this game, and it goes without saying that the transcript is full of spoilers. So, if you've never played this game, and think you might like to at some point, I do not recommend reading any further. Instead, you might want to return to the interactive fiction page.

ToyShop & Floyditorium

#ClubFloyd Discussion

DavidW says, "There is a feelie map that people will want to look at. I don't think the map counts as a spoiler."

Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Your pager tickles you awake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Upstairs in the house of your childhood, in your room, and it must be
Floyd | time for school because -- no, it's the weekend, you remember, but
Floyd | your alarm is going off anyway. You should have been awake already.
Floyd | You're going to miss the bus. Your mother climbs in the window. You're
Floyd | dreaming.
Floyd |
Floyd | You're a grown-up: It opens to you again, a sluggish window summoned
Floyd | by a mouse click. Waking up now in your own apartment, your new
Floyd | apartment. Your pager is buzzing and vibrating both, serious. It is in
Floyd | fact the weekend, but you're not in elementary school. No one is
Floyd | crawling in through the window. You're a system administrator for
Floyd | nWare. Waking up urgently, here in nTopia.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Home
Floyd | The constellations on the ceiling are as you left them: Pisces, Cetus,
Floyd | Aquarius, and the ones without celestial referent, left by some crazed
Floyd | astronomer in residence here before you. What could you call them? The
Floyd | Cradle, The Way, The Burning Book...
Floyd |
Floyd | They're still glowing, too. Must not have napped for long.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says (to Fang), "it's better for everyone if I have a map :)"

Fang says, "wow, that's a pretty big map"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Didn't Curses have a room full of constellations?"

Binder says (to Floyd), "x pisces"

Floyd | If your milky memories of astronomy class serve, the glow-in-the-dark
Floyd | stars seem not just slapped on at random but willfully misconfigured.
Floyd | They lend the place some sort of character, though an Escher poster
Floyd | would be hip in comparison.
Floyd |
Floyd | The pager buzzes and jars you, its motor driven to disrupt and demand
Floyd | attention. This is no Harry Potter broomstick.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "get up"

Floyd | You get off the couch.
Floyd |
Floyd | The pager vibrates like it's repeatedly tapping you to get your
Floyd | attention, and it buzzes gratingly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "answer pager"

Floyd | You can't help but listen to the buzzing. As for listening to
Floyd | messages, you usually do that by manipulating the pager's elegant user
Floyd | interface.
Floyd |
Floyd | The buzzing of the pager continues. You are tooth to the dental drill
Floyd | of the device.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | It's too dark too see, like inside of a dog.
Floyd |
Floyd | You return to lucidity for what is going to be a very brief moment,
Floyd | unless you make the pager stop buzzing and vibrating.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "turn on light"

Floyd | You switch the light on.
Floyd |
Floyd | THE PAGER IT HURTS US IT HURTS US AAAAAHEHEHEE
Floyd |
Floyd | Home
Floyd | Although almost unfurnished, since you've been here only a few days
Floyd | and haven't had time to settle in, the place is more Fight Club than
Floyd | Shade: young, urbane, professional. It's yours, though. It's your
Floyd | residential canister. Your lime-green couch is against the longest
Floyd | wall. And it looks like we also have your nLap 500 and a heap of
Floyd | clothes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "x pager"

Floyd | Cell phones are ubiquitous in nTopia, and your pager is a sort of
Floyd | funky, retro sheriff's badge among them. Press the gray button there,
Floyd | and any voice messages you have will play; hold the button to erase
Floyd | them. The vibration and buzzing mean that an urgent message, or one
Floyd | the sender thought was urgent, has arrived and has not yet been
Floyd | played.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your nRich cybercash chip is installed in your pager, along with your
Floyd | nPediment identifier tag for keyless entry, the same one that most of
Floyd | your co-workers have installed in their phones, wallets, or upper
Floyd | arms.
Floyd |
Floyd | The pager's buzzing and vibration seems to have set up a sort of
Floyd | resonance in your body, which reacts like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 0 of the 0 tasks
Floyd | assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

Fang says, "..... huh"

DavidW says, "well. we suck"

EmacsUser says, "Man, I haven't even caught up reading."

DavidW asks, "I don't own a pager. Is there a trick to answering them?"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "press gray"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "press button"

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Net extremely hoseled. Engine team being hideously masticated by this
Floyd | outage. Demo rapidly approaching. Get to the cages. Reboot the
Floyd | servers. Hasten. Do not rest. Please. All five of them. Email me to
Floyd | confirm you're heading out to do this. Please. Engine boys are going
Floyd | to run off and leap the railing if the network isn't restored.
Floyd |
Floyd | The frenetic voice is definitely that of your boss, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Goal: email Wilbur."

jnc thought this town would be perfect for him, but when he got there it turned out to have no qualia.

Fang asks, "can wilbur even recieve the emails if the servers are down?"

EmacsUser says, "Haha."

Fang says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd |
Floyd | Home
Floyd | It's your residential canister. Your lime-green couch is against the
Floyd | longest wall. And it looks like we also have your nLap 500 and a heap
Floyd | of clothes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Wilbur uses gmail, not the company system."

jenrexrode says, "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

Floyd |
Floyd | The desktop flashes light blue for a moment.
Floyd |
Floyd | Good to meet you, Floyd! I'm here to help you work different! With
Floyd | nWare's nSys operating system, you don't have to think! You can just
Floyd | USE THE COMPUTER! Don't fret about what to click and what to type,
Floyd | just work better, faster, and more limberly! Just USE THE COMPUTER!
Floyd | I'll be back if you need help!
Floyd |
Floyd | "Stan" steadies his metal jaw and winks out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your boon companion "Stan" has somehow reset himself like that three
Floyd | times already. Fortunately he -- it -- only forgets your name in the
Floyd | process.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "use computer"

Floyd | You dash off a quick and reassuring email to Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A compulsive glance at the text file that holds your notes reassures
Floyd | you about the locations of the five servers: Wendy, at RelOfCoTn,
Floyd | Abalone and Second; Nora, in the airport; Ester, in the East Berm;
Floyd | Sophie, in City Hall, on the south end of Main; and Cindy, in F7 on
Floyd | the main campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | Not that you have a great sense of direction and remember exactly how
Floyd | to get to all of those places, but nTopia is pretty small -- you'll
Floyd | find them.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The old-style lock opens to you with already-practiced ease, and you
Floyd | walk in. You switch the light on.
Floyd |
Floyd | Home
Floyd | It's your residential canister. Your lime-green couch is against the
Floyd | longest wall. And it looks like we also have a heap of clothes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Gunther has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "talk to doorman"

Floyd | Since you know less about small talk than about Smalltalk -- and that
Floyd | isn't saying much -- it would be best to specify what you want to
Floyd | discuss.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "ask doorman about me"

Floyd |
Floyd | Your attempt to talk to the doorman either doesn't make it through the
Floyd | Plexiglas or doesn't make it into his head.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd | Onward, into the intentional city. nWare crafted it well -- built from
Floyd | the ground up with security and scalability in mind, it's fully
Floyd | pedestrianized but hums, almost full-size, like a city center.
Floyd |
Floyd | The night sky is completely cloudless. The dry warmth of the air hints
Floyd | at the desert that surrounds nTopia.
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fifth
Floyd | Your apartment building is on the southwest corner. Opposite it is a
Floyd | windowless, blocky building. On the southeast corner Pharmicopia
Floyd | sprawls. Otto's Automat is to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | I see you're outside! Hey, the nice thing about this city is that it
Floyd | uses the grid system, so you can just go NORTH, EAST, SOUTH, or WEST,
Floyd | and you'll pretty much always end up somewhere else!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW asks, "We're heading north, yes?"

EmacsUser nods.

Binder also nods.

VictorGijsbers says, "Yep."

Fang says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fourth
Floyd | Parts of the city like this one give you a special tingle and suggest
Floyd | that Santa Claus and Jesus will be able to coexist in peace. The
Floyd | styling retail space on the northeast corner, nTune, is almost bare.
Floyd | To the southeast is the nTopia All-Faiths Chapel Complex. Unmistakable
Floyd | typography announces The Gap to the southwest, while the remaining
Floyd | corner features the smaller but less restrained posters of Comics
Floyd | Command.
Floyd |
Floyd | One guy on Rollerblades and one in a racing wheelchair whisper past,
Floyd | both with hockey sticks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Third
Floyd | A multi-level grocery store dominates the northeast corner, occupying
Floyd | the whole side of the block from here to Second. A windowless
Floyd | building, this one with a logo like a fork of lightning, is southeast.
Floyd | A shrouded establishment called "Gelatinous Cube" is southwest. On the
Floyd | final corner is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Second
Floyd | A familiar whiff rustles a flood of memories free.
Floyd |
Floyd | Well, not a flood, maybe. But there was that pepperoni and mushroom
Floyd | thin-crust you consumed right after moving in, after solving the
Floyd | difficult solid geometry puzzle posed by your doorway and your one
Floyd | piece of legacy, non-flat-pack furniture. The movers went away shaking
Floyd | their heads that afternoon. You did the Snoopy dance of triumph.
Floyd |
Floyd | Proud Pie is on the northeast corner. The multi-level grocery store to
Floyd | the southeast spans the block down Abalone. To the southwest is the
Floyd | concrete RelOfCoTn building, a typical nWare structure. An apartment
Floyd | building, The Peachtree, is northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bicyclist hurtles by, speaking Spanish on a hands-free phone.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd | You head into the building and over to the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | RelOfCoTn Server Room
Floyd | There are racks and racks, with the usual drop ceiling and raised
Floyd | floor one finds in the upscale server room. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have Wendy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers struggles to keep up.

DavidW says, "This is rather wordy, yeah."

Binder says (to Floyd), "x wendy"

Floyd | It's a box that powers Engine's network, an nSure 3000. Bristling like
Floyd | a brain in a vat, this 10U monster can perform the functions of a few
Floyd | racks full of specialized Crisco hardware with herculean ease. Except
Floyd | it can't do that after it has crashed. A red button, deeply recessed
Floyd | to avoid accidental activation, is the only visible control.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang asks, "wendy is a machine?"

Binder says, "that's a lot of U."

Binder says (to Fang), "Evidently."

VictorGijsbers says, "It's one of our servers."

DavidW says, "Yes. It's one of the servers we need to reboot."

Fang says (to Floyd), "x button"

Floyd | ( That is, "examine the server's red button." )
Floyd |
Floyd | Just as the trash can is the one essential piece of office furniture,
Floyd | the reset switch is the one essential feature of an nWare server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "press button"

Floyd | ( That is, "press the server's red button." )
Floyd |
Floyd | The button clicks in. As you release it, the box falls silent and dark
Floyd | for a moment, then begins to power back up.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & First
Floyd | The clothing store Niche Threads is to the northeast, while a fire
Floyd | station, sporting the double oddity of two garage doors, is across
Floyd | from it on the southeast corner. To the southwest is the tall,
Floyd | cylindrical, and multicolored Medical Center Plaza. What dominates the
Floyd | intersection, though, is that even more striking and unusual pushpin
Floyd | of the swooping MuseRoom, to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "Sure."

Fang says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Front
Floyd | You haven't been missing anything in this corner of town. The earth of
Floyd | the West Berm is heaped right up against the tall airport wall to the
Floyd | north, making this just a big dead-end alley.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two indistinguishable warehouses flank Abalone Street to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | Carrie Fisher appears more or less in front of you, in flowing robes,
Floyd | and begins to crouch down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The immense metal wall of the airport is interposed as if there were
Floyd | Palestinians on the other side. Or perhaps you're the Palestinian. You
Floyd | won't get over it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "heh"

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Hey! Just letting you know! If you're not tickling the user interface
Floyd | or doing something like compiling a program, you can, you know, close
Floyd | the computer and save the battery a bit.
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport Server Room
Floyd | Raised floor, drop ceiling, and racks all around instead of walls make
Floyd | this place seem pretty comfy, at least if you're a patch cable. And it
Floyd | looks like we also have Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "x nora"

Floyd | This nSure 3000 looks a lot like Wendy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "push button"

Floyd | ( That is, "push the server's red button." )
Floyd |
Floyd | The button clicks in. As you release it, the box falls silent and dark
Floyd | for a moment, then begins to power back up.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Save?"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf1"

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: ( Ok. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Lionheart arrives, full of fun, but no funk.

Binder says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd |
Floyd | Airport Server Room
Floyd | Raised floor, drop ceiling, and racks all around instead of walls make
Floyd | this place seem pretty comfy, at least if you're a patch cable. And it
Floyd | looks like we also have Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "City Hall next?"

Fang says, "no, let's try to find east berm"

DavidW says, "No, see if we can locate East Berm next."

VictorGijsbers says, "Ok."

Fang says, "should be around here"

Fang says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | An enormous but rather well-behaved gorilla strides to the middle of
Floyd | the area, brandishing what looks like a giant can of Jolt Cola.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "After that, Cindy on Campus"

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Front
Floyd | Even Main Street has nothing but a pair of warehouses on this end,
Floyd | where it meets Front Street. The airport wall is north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bicyclist hurtles by, speaking Spanish on a hands-free phone.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Front
Floyd | Front Street continues its run alongside the airport. There is a
Floyd | warehouse on the southwest corner. Excitement is in store on the
Floyd | southeast corner, where a walled-off construction site is plastered
Floyd | with "Coming Soon: Mall of nTopia!" signs.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin & Front
Floyd | Ghetto, hood, barrio -- they all seem a lot catchier than "housing for
Floyd | construction and infrastructure employees." If your skill at rebooting
Floyd | computers had been classified differently, you might have ended up
Floyd | living in this part of town. With the empty strip of sand there. And
Floyd | so much farther away from the arcade.
Floyd |
Floyd | In a seedier version of this city, a version of you that was skilled
Floyd | in martial arts might come here for some practice before tournaments.
Floyd | The city goes no further north or east. There's just Front Lodge to
Floyd | the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | There's nowhere to go. Past a small patch of desert that is no doubt
Floyd | reserved for future construction, the city ends at the East Berm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "hm"

Fang says, "hmm"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Walk south until we find something? Or enter every building?"

Fang asks, "I assume berm is some kind of earthwork?"

Fang says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin & First
Floyd | First Lodge is on the northwest corner. The nWare Media Campus is
Floyd | southwest of here, but there's no way onto campus from this
Floyd | intersection.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I don't know what a berm is."

EmacsUser says (to Fang), "That's the only definition I know."

jenrexrode asks, "a lump of earth?"

VictorGijsbers says, "In Dutch it's the earth next to the road. Could be something similar in English."

inky | a narrow shelf, path, or ledge typically at the top or bottom of a slope; also : a mound or wall of earth or sand

Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus North
Floyd | The path to the west looks as nice as all the other campus walkways,
Floyd | but this is clearly an alley at the edge of town.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Heh."

Fang says, "I'm going to keep going south"

Fang says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus South
Floyd | The eastern edge of the city looks like a long, empty parking lot. The
Floyd | path onto campus to the west is typically impressive, though. There's
Floyd | a subtle brown door to the east here, set right in the dirt of the
Floyd | East Berm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "et viola"

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | East Berm Server Room
Floyd | Much like other server rooms in this world of ours: racks, raised
Floyd | floor, drop ceiling. It seems to have been made a bit more spacious
Floyd | than it needs to be. Perhaps that was done to keep you from thinking
Floyd | about the fact that the room is buried in a large heap of earth for no
Floyd | apparent reason. And it looks like we also have Ester.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "x ester"

Floyd | This nSure 3000 looks a lot like Wendy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "push button"

Floyd | ( That is, "push the server's red button." )
Floyd |
Floyd | The button clicks in. As you release it, the box falls silent and dark
Floyd | for a moment, then begins to power back up.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "I have the feeling pushing these five buttons is not going to be the end of the story. Or not the happy end."

Fang says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus South
Floyd | The eastern edge of the city looks like a long, empty parking lot. The
Floyd | path onto campus to the west is typically impressive, though. There's
Floyd | a subtle brown door to the east here, set right in the dirt of the
Floyd | East Berm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "Cindy is on campus somewhere."

DavidW says, ""F7""

Fang says, "I think we fight as well go in the order we are given"

Fang says, "*might"

VictorGijsbers says, "Let's head west."

Fang says, "so city hall next"

jenrexrode says, "ok"

DavidW says, "oh, all right"

VictorGijsbers says, "Fine."

Fang says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin & Fourth
Floyd | This particularly desolate spot on the eastern edge of town has an
Floyd | empty lot to the southwest and the boundary of the nWare Media Campus,
Floyd | offering no entrance, to the northwest. The lot has a chain link fence
Floyd | around it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin & Fifth
Floyd | A convenience store, ShopLite, is on the southwest corner, here at the
Floyd | eastern end of nTopia. There's an empty lot, ringed with a chain-link
Floyd | fence, to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bearded figure wearing glasses and a Hawaiian shirt is very suddenly
Floyd | standing aways to your left, as if he just appeared there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "x figure"

Floyd | To all appearances, it's actually a bearded guy.
Floyd |
Floyd | At the second glance, there's no mistaking it. You recognize him from
Floyd | that Con however many years ago. It's Gary Gygax.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head west on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Fifth
Floyd | The eastern corners are occupied by the two nicest residential options
Floyd | in town, The Maple Copse and Yew Village. City Hall has a face turned
Floyd | this way to the southwest. On the northwest corner are the colors and
Floyd | leafy tufts of the city gardens.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "Hologram ads, I think. Advertising what, I dunno."

Fang says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and nWare's monarchically wealthy
Floyd | founder, shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall Server Room
Floyd | There are just the usual racks here. The rest of the room is bare,
Floyd | with the usual drop ceilings and the usual raised floor providing a
Floyd | contrast to the unusual wooden walls outside. And it looks like we
Floyd | also have Sophie.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "press button"

Floyd | ( That is, "press the server's red button." )
Floyd |
Floyd | The button clicks in. As you release it, the box falls silent and dark
Floyd | for a moment, then begins to power back up.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Franklin and Von Neumann -- ha."

Fang says, "and finally, the campus"

Fang says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "x diorama"

Floyd | Ah, yes. The diorama. There it is.
Floyd |
Floyd | You notice that it has a brass button on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "push brass button"

Floyd | Ben Franklin twitches a bit for a moment, but then grinds to a halt. A
Floyd | hollow voice says "nSys for Diorama error number n plus one.
Floyd | Attempting reboot." And then nothing else seems to happen.
Floyd |
Floyd | Except that a small brass stick slowly juts out from near where the
Floyd | button is, in a sort of juvenile way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x stick"

Floyd | It's an nStick, a proprietary memory storage device. You haven't seen
Floyd | this particular sort before, and it's not going to fit into any of the
Floyd | usual computer suspects -- your nLap or the servers you manage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

inky says, "though I see it's as patchy as ever"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take stick"

Floyd | As you remove the stick from the diorama, the slot or plug or whatever
Floyd | this thing was in unhelpfully seals itself closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW asks, "er, are we abondoning our task?"

VictorGijsbers says, "No, just stealing a stick."

inky says, "er, whoops"

Fang says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | A blue-white cloud rapidly coalesces in the middle of the
Floyd | intersection. As it dissipates, an elegant yet thuggish man steps from
Floyd | it, casually wielding a huge sword.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Though you can undo it you wish. :)"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "x man"

Floyd | ( That is, "examine the elegant thug." )
Floyd |
Floyd | To all appearances, it's actually an elegant thug.
Floyd |
Floyd | As the thug looks around without seeming to see you or anything else,
Floyd | something assures you, as blatantly as a Queen soundtrack would, that
Floyd | this is Christopher Lambert.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head north on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. A Starbucks is on the southeast corner. There is a
Floyd | coffeehouse called "Independent Grounds" to the southwest. Another
Floyd | Starbucks is on the northwest corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your stomach speaks to you in twangs of pain. Although you don't know
Floyd | Morse code, the jist of the message is that it would be a good idea to
Floyd | get something to eat soon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "there can be only one"

Fang says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | F7 Server Room
Floyd | The raised floor is charcoal in color -- it's the sort seen in all
Floyd | nWare buildings that house really official business. The racks all
Floyd | around are also especially businesslike. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have Cindy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Lipa goes home.

Fang exclaims, "hunger puzzles!"

Fang says (to Floyd), "push button"

Floyd | ( That is, "push the server's red button." )
Floyd |
Floyd | The button clicks in. As you release it, the box falls silent and dark
Floyd | for a moment, then begins to power back up.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hey! You gotta hear this!"
Floyd |
Floyd | You whirl around for a moment, then keep whirling around, and finally,
Floyd | when you hear a "What?" in reply, realize that this snippet of speech
Floyd | is being carried to you through some ventilation system or other
Floyd | unseen passageway.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You know how I was saying that this nonsense we're working on has got
Floyd | to be a cover for something? Check this out --"
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a rustle of pages.
Floyd |
Floyd | "They have one of these for congressmen, see, in case of nuclear war.
Floyd | I bet this whole site was just put together as a bunker like this, so
Floyd | the execs can get away in case the terrorists start opening up on the
Floyd | real cities."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Really?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "Well, yeah."
Floyd |
Floyd | The voices drift away, leaving you disappointed at your own lack of
Floyd | inane workplace prattle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Net extremely hoseled. Engine team being hideously masticated by this
Floyd | outage. Demo rapidly approaching. Get to the cages. Reboot the
Floyd | servers. Hasten. Do not rest. Please. All five of them. Email me to
Floyd | confirm you're heading out to do this. Please. Engine boys are going
Floyd | to run off and leap the railing if the network isn't restored.
Floyd |
Floyd | The frenetic voice is definitely that of your boss, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | You were notified by email recently about a very critical internal
Floyd | intensive update and are listed as being responsible for the
Floyd | administration of several nSure servers. Our records show you have not
Floyd | yet initiated a download of the update as is mandated by our "Patch
Floyd | now!" policy. Please check your email, if necessary, and attend to the
Floyd | update.
Floyd |
Floyd | It sounds like the older brother of that stupid stapler.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "push gray button"

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Net extremely hoseled. Engine team being hideously masticated by this
Floyd | outage. Demo rapidly approaching. Get to the cages. Reboot the
Floyd | servers. Hasten. Do not rest. Please. All five of them. Email me to
Floyd | confirm you're heading out to do this. Please. Engine boys are going
Floyd | to run off and leap the railing if the network isn't restored.
Floyd |
Floyd | The frenetic voice is definitely that of your boss, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | You were notified by email recently about a very critical internal
Floyd | intensive update and are listed as being responsible for the
Floyd | administration of several nSure servers. Our records show you have not
Floyd | yet initiated a download of the update as is mandated by our "Patch
Floyd | now!" policy. Please check your email, if necessary, and attend to the
Floyd | update.
Floyd |
Floyd | It sounds like the older brother of that stupid stapler.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "You have to push gray button"

Fang says (to Floyd), "open laptop"

Floyd | You open the nLap 500, which wakes the moment it begins to unfold. You
Floyd | hear a cheery robot voice almost immediately.
Floyd |
Floyd | It looks like you're trying to open -- oop! You got it.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you swing the screen into place, you catch a glimpse of a window
Floyd | blinking away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "?"

Binder says, "I don't trust this laptop."

DavidW says, "Now 'use computer', I guess."

Fang asks, "did we just get phished?"

Fang says (to Floyd), "use computer"

Floyd | ( That is, "use Cindy." )
Floyd |
Floyd | Cindy hasn't been dumbed down enough to be used in only one way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser asks, "Mind-reading computer I think?"

Fang says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A metallic sound, a twinkling like a dozen will-o-the-wisps, and then
Floyd | Leonard Nimoy is standing about three feet above the ground, wearing
Floyd | jeans and a black turtleneck.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Hey, this looks like the nWare media campus! This place is where other
Floyd | helpful entities like me are being developed, along with a lot of
Floyd | other really cool stuff!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "use computer"

Floyd | Complete ass. An automated email tells you that a new very critical
Floyd | internal intensive update has been issued, which means you'll have to
Floyd | download it, compile it here on the nLap -- the only place you've got
Floyd | the build environment set up -- and then apply it to all five servers.
Floyd | Fortunately you can do that remotely. Unfortunately this thing will
Floyd | probably take ten minutes to download and four hours to compile.
Floyd |
Floyd | Okay, that's an exaggeration. It will probably take eight minutes to
Floyd | download and maybe two and a half hours to compile.
Floyd |
Floyd | You start the download.
Floyd |
Floyd | Leonard Nimoy looks around calmly and raises an eyebrow. His whole
Floyd | body raises and lowers itself, too, finally coming to rest on the
Floyd | ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "well, time to get lunch, I guess"

Fang says, "good thing there's wifi"

Fang says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW asks, "Close the computer first, to save the battery?"

Fang says (to DW), "it's downloading"

Fang says, "and compiling"

VictorGijsbers says, "No, we need it to download an compile."

EmacsUser asks, "Does it need to be open to do that?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Yes."

DavidW asks, "oh. It doesn't work when open?"

DavidW asks, "er when closed?"

Fang says, "it sleeps when closed"

VictorGijsbers says, "It said explicitly that we could close it unless we were using it or compiling something."

DavidW says, "Oh. I missed that too."

EmacsUser says, "Oh yeah."

jenrexrode says, "oh good catch"

DavidW says, "Hard to read everything at CF pace."

Fang says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd | The Supreme Food Court is not open right now. Looks like it opens at
Floyd | ten.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser nods.

Fang says (to Floyd), "x time"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Third
Floyd | A multi-level grocery store dominates the northeast corner, occupying
Floyd | the whole side of the block from here to Second. A windowless
Floyd | building, this one with a logo like a fork of lightning, is southeast.
Floyd | A shrouded establishment called "Gelatinous Cube" is southwest. On the
Floyd | final corner is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "er"

Fang says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Second
Floyd | Proud Pie is on the northeast corner. The multi-level grocery store to
Floyd | the southeast spans the block down Abalone. To the southwest is the
Floyd | concrete RelOfCoTn building, a typical nWare structure. An apartment
Floyd | building, The Peachtree, is northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Proud Pie
Floyd | Magenta color. A bouquet of dough and cheese with smoky nuance and a
Floyd | touch of pepper. Hints of oak, leather, and plastic. The finish is
Floyd | long and satisfying.
Floyd |
Floyd | Since you were here last, they seem to have installed a man-sized
Floyd | stuffed mouse in one corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "mmm, automat sounds like fun"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x mouse"

Floyd | After you pull your attention away from the hideous rictus the mouse
Floyd | wears, you notice that there's a panel on the creature's back that is
Floyd | open and streaming with wires. It must be some sort of robot
Floyd | entertainer.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Man, we ordered DDR and they sent that thing," some guy calls from
Floyd | behind the counter. "Can you believe it?"
Floyd |
Floyd | That must have been a rhetorical question, as the guy proceeds to slip
Floyd | away out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "x counter"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "DDR?"

Alex says (to VictorGijsbers), "Awwwk! Word on the street is that ddr is Dance Dance Revolution."

Floyd | Great, great. Downloaded. You fiddle with the makefile a bit and then
Floyd | kick off the build.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your nTerm fills with the kind of stuff that viewers of The Matrix
Floyd | thought was sexy, for some reason. Hopefully this will go without a
Floyd | hitch and be done in ... whenever.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Oh, uh, thanks Alex."

Fang says (to Floyd), "buy food"

Floyd | Food does seem like a good idea. You order some and prepare to focus
Floyd | completely on the meal, like Martha Stewart on her salad...
Floyd |
Floyd | A guy you met during new employee reorientation -- Knut, you think his
Floyd | name is -- furtively joins you as you're dining. He looks even more
Floyd | feverish and high-strung than he did a few days ago.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hi. Hi again. Gotta tell. Tell you something."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Reality. Illusion. Theme is reality versus illusion. Must discern
Floyd | reality. And illusion."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Behind a small plate I have placed it. In F2, the downstairs lab.
Floyd | Hopefully you can get into F2. I have placed the device. The device
Floyd | you will need. The magic helmet."
Floyd |
Floyd | Knut tilts forward as if he was going to relate to you some ultimate
Floyd | secret, then, surprisingly, bolts away and out the door. He's long
Floyd | gone before you even manage to conceive of pursuing him, so you turn
Floyd | back to your meal.
Floyd |
Floyd | You conclude your culinary experience.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Your nTerm is still flickering along, so the update must be compiling
Floyd | properly. You read a bit more of that fascinating thread about the
Floyd | ethics of patenting an overclocking technique.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Second
Floyd | Main runs along the west edge of the nWare Media Campus. To the
Floyd | northwest is a Starbucks. The glass cube of the nWare Store sits on a
Floyd | park-like plot to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "I concur, let us accept the task for the crazy man."

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | You didn't get a great look around here during your on-site interview,
Floyd | since the wiry guy walking with you was enthusiastically posing an
Floyd | elaborate problem in queueing theory. Luckily you were able to
Floyd | convince him that your mind can flex in the nWare way.
Floyd |
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "hmm"

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus North
Floyd | The path to the west looks as nice as all the other campus walkways,
Floyd | but this is clearly an alley at the edge of town.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus South
Floyd | The eastern edge of the city looks like a long, empty parking lot. The
Floyd | path onto campus to the west is typically impressive, though. There's
Floyd | a subtle brown door to the east here, set right in the dirt of the
Floyd | East Berm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "er.."

VictorGijsbers says, "It's a donwstairs lab."

Binder asks, "will it accept something like 'go to f2'?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "go to f2"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "guess not"

Fang says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Octopus...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Fourth
Floyd | The nWare Media Campus is north; Octopus turns into the campus's main
Floyd | path on the north side of Fourth Street. To the southwest are the
Floyd | city's gardens, complementing the green of the campus with other
Floyd | herbifarous colors. A store called "Beverage Rack" is to the
Floyd | southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | A man and woman ride by on a tandem bicycle, with a toddler riding in
Floyd | a sidecar.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Octopus...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sleep attempts to settle down upon you like a blanket that you keep
Floyd | kicking off. If the time leading up to the demo wasn't so hectic,
Floyd | you'd be hitting the sack about now.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You're not cleared to enter the building over there. Although you work
Floyd | for nWare, the subdivisions of the Media division are pretty much
Floyd | walled off from each other.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | F7 Server Room
Floyd | The raised floor is charcoal in color -- it's the sort seen in all
Floyd | nWare buildings that house really official business. The racks all
Floyd | around are also especially businesslike. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have Cindy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "d"

Floyd | There's no way to go down into the raised floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "hmm"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "open floor"

Floyd | The raised floor is made to open up, but you would have to have the
Floyd | appropriate tool for the job.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "Assuming we have an office."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd | The nWare Store is not open right now. Looks like it opens at ten.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Can we see what time it is?"

DavidW says, "Maybe it's in the status line."

Fang says, "maybe this is something that n... right"

DavidW says, "I tried 'time' and it's didn't recognize it as a verb."

VictorGijsbers says, "Hm. Let's go the mailboxes in the meantime."

Fang says (to Floyd), "about"

Floyd | ( Book and Volume is a work of interactive fiction written, designed,
Floyd | and programmed by Nick Montfort. It was published in 2005 -- first
Floyd | release was on November 17 -- and was written in Inform, a language
Floyd | for IF development created by Graham Nelson. It runs on the Z-Machine,
Floyd | a software computer developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank. Bug
Floyd | reports and other correspondence about Book and Volume can be sent to
Floyd | Nick at <nickm@nickm.com>. For license information, type LICENSE. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x time"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | ( Ways to leave the current location are shown in the upper left, when
Floyd | there are such ways, and can also be revealed by typing EXITS. SCORE
Floyd | shows the current score and FULL SCORE adds a breakdown of which tasks
Floyd | have been done and which remain. Book and Volume is a fairly typical
Floyd | piece of interactive fiction as far as the interface and possible
Floyd | commands to the player character are concerned. Those unfamiliar with
Floyd | interactive fiction should read the introduction that is available
Floyd | from the starting menu. It can be accessed from the prompt by typing
Floyd | INTRO. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x clock"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "intro"

Floyd | ( Interactive fiction provides a world, complete with a setting that
Floyd | is a simulated space, objects and characters that exist within that
Floyd | space, and even unusual physical laws.
Floyd |
Floyd | This world and the things that happen in it are described to you, the
Floyd | player, in text. You control a character, the "player character," by
Floyd | typing short commands that express what you want the character to do
Floyd | next. Many simple commands that you could give to an actor, standing
Floyd | on stage with the appropriate props around, should be understood.
Floyd |
Floyd | The ">" prompt is what indicates that it's your turn to type
Floyd | something, for instance:
Floyd |
Floyd | >OPEN THE CD CASE
Floyd | >PURCHASE A WIDGET
Floyd | >ASK THE GOON FOR THE TIME
Floyd |
Floyd | The first of these is only a sensible command when there is a CD case
Floyd | in the player character's possession or in the area; the second can
Floyd | only be expected to work if the player character has money and is
Floyd | somewhere where widgets are sold; and the last command will only be
Floyd | meaningful if there is a goon nearby or otherwise available for
Floyd | communication.
Floyd |
Floyd | Headings, shown in bold, indicate the current location of the player
Floyd | character.
Floyd |
Floyd | The current location is also named in the upper right; the obvious
Floyd | ways to leave are indicated in the upper left. The command EXITS will
Floyd | result in the obvious ways to leave being named explicitly.
Floyd |
Floyd | Upon entering a location, the area will be described. To take a closer
Floyd | look at something in the location or in the player character's
Floyd | possession, you can EXAMINE or LOOK AT it. In Book and Volume, the
Floyd | first description may provide more commentary or reminisces than later
Floyd | descriptions.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can command the player character to manipulate things in the
Floyd | world, too: to pick up certain things, turn some devices on and off,
Floyd | and eat food, for instance. The player character can also be commanded
Floyd | to talk to some other characters.
Floyd |
Floyd | SCORE and FULL SCORE provide some information about how you are
Floyd | progressing at some tasks.
Floyd |
Floyd | First-time players are sometimes frustrated that certain commands will
Floyd | not work, but there is some sort of system to interactive fiction. The
Floyd | sort of commands that usually don't work include:
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | [No...] >DONATE MY ORGANS TO SCIENCE
Floyd |
Floyd | Unless the player character has just been presented with a blank organ
Floyd | donor card, there would be no obvious way to do this. Even in that
Floyd | case, something more specific and concrete, such as CHECK THE TOP BOX,
Floyd | might be more effective. Commands should generally have something to
Floyd | do with concrete things in the immediate area, although conversations
Floyd | with other characters might be about abstract topics.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | [No...] >GO TO TANGIERS
Floyd |
Floyd | The player character is usually only able to move around locally,
Floyd | following such commands as GO NORTH, LEAVE, and GO TO THE RESTAURANT
Floyd | (when there is a single restaurant in the immediate area). An
Floyd | indicator in the upper left shows what directions the player character
Floyd | can move in. You can also type EXITS to see these directions listed.
Floyd |
Floyd | More generally, complex actions that involve numerous steps
Floyd | (purchasing a plane ticket, booking a hotel room, packing for a trip,
Floyd | arranging ground transportation to the airport, waiting in line at
Floyd | security, and so on) cannot usually be accomplished with a single
Floyd | command. Some actions of moderate complexity might be possible with
Floyd | single commands, however, if they are routine ones for the player
Floyd | character.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | [No...] >WALK TO THE COFFEE TABLE
Floyd |
Floyd | If there's a coffee table in the room, you can just directly command
Floyd | the player character to do several things: look at it, take things off
Floyd | it, put things on it, and so forth. There's usually no need to move
Floyd | the player character around in front of specific pieces of furniture;
Floyd | just specifying what is to be done is enough.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | [No...] >SLYLY SPRYLY RUN
Floyd |
Floyd | One problem is that the command does not specify where to run to or
Floyd | what direction to run in. Also, the adverbs will not be understood.
Floyd | Generally, adverbs are unnecessary. You are asked to choose what basic
Floyd | things the player character does, not the very fine details of how
Floyd | those actions are accomplished.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You may want to take some notes as you play interactive fiction.
Floyd | Traditionally, players have drawn a map as they progress through a
Floyd | particular interactive fiction world; this may or may not be necessary
Floyd | for particular people playing particular pieces of interactive
Floyd | fiction.
Floyd |
Floyd | Finally, playing interactive fiction with others, in person or online,
Floyd | is probably the best introduction. Even if your fellow players are not
Floyd | interactive fiction experts, different people will have different good
Floyd | ideas about how to make progress, and working together can be fun. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "oops, sorry"

EmacsUser says, "Looks like we have to live without the status line."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. A Starbucks is on the southeast corner. There is a
Floyd | coffeehouse called "Independent Grounds" to the southwest. Another
Floyd | Starbucks is on the northwest corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd | The Mailboxes Ultra is not open right now. Looks like it opens at
Floyd | seven thirty.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You gaze for a while at the sky, tracing a few of the constellations
Floyd | you know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Shall I delete the messages?"

Binder says (to Floyd), "ask nlap for the time"

Floyd | That can only be done to a higher organism.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "yeah, not even dawn yet"

DavidW says, "That was the weirdest help info."

Binder says, "there was an example command in intro in that form but evidently requires something more animate to consult."

DavidW asks, "Instead of explaining what to do, it gave examples of what NOT to do?"

EmacsUser says (to VictorGijsbers), "Go for it."

Fang says, "so... um, let's go to the chapel and pray until the sun comes up"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "hold button"

Floyd | The pager emits a low beep after you hold the button down for about a
Floyd | second and a half.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "or maybe I'm thinking vespers"

VictorGijsbers says, "The chapel has no entry."

VictorGijsbers says, "Let's try a shop."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | A wisp of grilled beast lingers around Public Char, to the northeast.
Floyd | A Starbucks is on the southeast corner. A complex of tall apartment
Floyd | buildings, The Planar Forest, is southwest. To the northwest is a shoe
Floyd | store.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fifth
Floyd | Your apartment building is on the southwest corner. Opposite it is a
Floyd | windowless, blocky building. On the southeast corner Pharmicopia
Floyd | sprawls. Otto's Automat is to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Pharmicopia
Floyd | The white, high-ceilinged place is run through with cliffs of boxed-up
Floyd | blister packs. Around the edges are toys, books, even a selection of
Floyd | electronic gadgets and gizmos and such, along with small appliances.
Floyd | Ringed within these are household and personal supplies, while nearest
Floyd | the core -- by the enclosure where the pharmacists and their
Floyd | attendants no doubt circulate -- are the brand-name over-the-counter
Floyd | philters of vibrant color, along with the alternatives: vitamins,
Floyd | herbs, and homeopathic dilutions.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you walk in, some punky-looking teenagers file out past you.
Floyd |
Floyd | "That is totally what my mom has been doing," one of them says, "Crazy
Floyd | weird apocalypse stuff. It's entirely a Watchmen situation, what else
Floyd | could it be? Best thing would be to clear out before whoever the
Floyd | Ozymandias dude is lays down the smack. Maybe go to Tokyo."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "hehe"

Fang says (to Floyd), "ask teenager for the time"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "these npcs are spry"

VictorGijsbers says, "We have to fight Ozymandias, king of kings? I despair."

Floyd | You are gripped by paralysis, unable to decide where to begin or end
Floyd | your shopping spree. After you breathe for a moment, the panic
Floyd | subsides. Perhaps you'll be able to go and shop after the stress of
Floyd | the demo has passed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says, "it's a pretty good comic book/graphic novel"

Fang says, "and a decent movie"

VictorGijsbers says, "We can't shop."

VictorGijsbers asks, "And Shelley's Ozymandias is in it?"

Binder says, "we can't shop until after we've dropped, it seems"

Binder says, "yes, Shelley's Ozymandias informs the text."

Fang says (to Victor), "in a manner of speaking"

Binder says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd |
Floyd | Pharmicopia
Floyd | At the center is the inner pharmacy of prescription drugs, with
Floyd | over-the-counter medicine and more traditional remedies around it and
Floyd | soaps and such in the next ring. Various other goods, ranging from
Floyd | books to toasters, are displayed along the walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The old-style lock opens to you with already-practiced ease, and you
Floyd | walk in. You switch the light on.
Floyd |
Floyd | Home
Floyd | It's your residential canister. Your lime-green couch is against the
Floyd | longest wall. And it looks like we also have a heap of clothes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "sleep"

Floyd | Sleep is a great idea, and would be a great state of being for you
Floyd | right now. But even if you have the time to sleep, you aren't on an
Floyd | appropriately cushioned surface.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Gus needs his password reset now. Immediately. At the current time.
Floyd | Sorry it's so early. Also, be nice to him when you walk over and
Floyd | deliver his new password, since this weekend has been rough on
Floyd | everyone. He's in F2 and I'm now having your nPediment privileges set
Floyd | so you can walk right in there and find him. Thanks for rebooting the
Floyd | machines, by the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | It is, of course, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "There we go."

Binder says, "this game is frighteningly like my real life"

VictorGijsbers exclaims, "Ha!"

Binder says, "yay, we slept our way to success"

jenrexrode says, "yay"

Fang asks, "why do we need to personally deliver a password?"

Binder says, "I like how we're admonished to BE NICE as our boss ruins our life."

VictorGijsbers says, "In Planescape: Torment, you could occassionaly die your way to success..."

Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fifth
Floyd | Your apartment building is on the southwest corner. Opposite it is a
Floyd | windowless, blocky building. On the southeast corner Pharmicopia
Floyd | sprawls. Otto's Automat is to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two men on unicycles, the larger one with a third unicycle over his
Floyd | shoulder, wobble along the street and away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

genericgeekgirl arrives, full of fun, but no funk.

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Fifth
Floyd | The eastern corners are occupied by the two nicest residential options
Floyd | in town, The Maple Copse and Yew Village. City Hall has a face turned
Floyd | this way to the southwest. On the northwest corner are the colors and
Floyd | leafy tufts of the city gardens.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Octopus...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Fourth
Floyd | The nWare Media Campus is north; Octopus turns into the campus's main
Floyd | path on the north side of Fourth Street. To the southwest are the
Floyd | city's gardens, complementing the green of the campus with other
Floyd | herbifarous colors. A store called "Beverage Rack" is to the
Floyd | southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Octopus...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Tada."

VictorGijsbers says, "It didn't use to be here..."

Fang says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Foyer
Floyd | This particularly uninviting room may have been included simply to
Floyd | reassure those without proper clearance that they are in the wrong
Floyd | place. To the north is the building's main floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | An unwashed hacker paces here fretfully. Noticing you, he freezes and
Floyd | turns. "I AM GUS," he says feverishly, "AND YOU MUST BEAR MY NEW
Floyd | PASSWORD!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Righteous. Everything actually compiled and built successfully. You
Floyd | install the update.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "use computer"

Floyd | Deftly you request a photo of Gus for purposes of positive ID, reset
Floyd | his account, and store in your short-term memory his
Floyd | cryptic-yet-memorable temporary password. Now you just need to share
Floyd | this important bit of information with Gus, and you'll have executed
Floyd | your responsibilities most gloriously.
Floyd |
Floyd | And people wonder why you fantasize about being a astronaut.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "give password to gus"

Floyd | You tell Gus his cryptic-yet-memorable temporary password.
Floyd |
Floyd | His face lights up with some combination of relief and prophetic
Floyd | rapture. He pulls a miniscule PDA from one of the pockets on his
Floyd | photographer's vest and taps happily, presumably gaining access.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | Some glitch, neurological or digital, causes Gus to scream "ODYSSEUS"
Floyd | and run toward the exit. This involves his running right over you,
Floyd | knocking you down. Your head strikes the floor in a painless and
Floyd | consciousness-eliminating way.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | "... tests were, again, all just fine," some woman in a doctor costume
Floyd | tells you. Or maybe she is a doctor. You're both walking along an
Floyd | aqua-colored corridor now. There are pictures of semi-rigid airships
Floyd | on the walls. "You shouldn't have any problems except perhaps for a
Floyd | bit of short-term memory loss, but if you do have any other trouble,
Floyd | come back and tell it to the kiosk. Oh, and you'll want this back."
Floyd | She hands you your pager, which, annoyingly, is buzzing and vibrating.
Floyd | "Take care!"
Floyd |
Floyd | You find yourself here in the lobby.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Torres Quevedo Memorial Hospital
Floyd | The shuffling of those in despair, the rapid, professional pace of the
Floyd | strained nurses and assistants, the occasional groan -- all of these
Floyd | are absent, since this pale green lobby, curiously, holds no one
Floyd | besides yourself. It's also completely without furnishings, except for
Floyd | a kiosk, placed dead center.
Floyd |
Floyd | Remembering the menu of health insurance options that you were
Floyd | presented, you congratulate yourself on buying the extended warranty
Floyd | on yourself.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | The pager buzzes and jars you, its motor driven to disrupt and demand
Floyd | attention.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Hey, this looks like the hospital! This is where you can go if you're
Floyd | sick! If you're really sick, sometimes emergency medical workers will
Floyd | helpfully bring you here!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "uh."

Fang says (to Floyd), "push gray button"

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Gus needs his password reset now. Immediately. At the current time.
Floyd | Sorry it's so early. Also, be nice to him when you walk over and
Floyd | deliver his new password, since this weekend has been rough on
Floyd | everyone. He's in F2 and I'm now having your nPediment privileges set
Floyd | so you can walk right in there and find him. Thanks for rebooting the
Floyd | machines, by the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | It is, of course, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an automatic report about how you got owned, champ. That's
Floyd | right, one of your machines is puking out denial of service packets
Floyd | and needs to be offlined immediately. Better get it off your network
Floyd | before somebody other than a robot tells you about it. The victim is
Floyd | Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | It sounds like the perky cousin of that stupid stapler.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Man."

Fang says, "yeah, that update was obviously dodgy"

VictorGijsbers says, "Nora is at the airport."

VictorGijsbers asks, "But perhaps we wish to investigate F2 first?"

Fang says, "the page makes fixing Nora sound time sensitive"

EmacsUser says, "I wish we had some idea how much time we have to deal with the issue."

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Gotta choose now. Anyone against F2?"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf5"

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: ( Ok. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "Unopposed"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Foyer
Floyd | This particularly uninviting room may have been included simply to
Floyd | reassure those without proper clearance that they are in the wrong
Floyd | place. To the north is the building's main floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode asks, "behind a plate?"

EmacsUser says, "Uh huh."

Idd says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Main Floor
Floyd | This is a large, open, and curiously empty workspace. Presumably
Floyd | employees come in here with their own laptops and work in some sort of
Floyd | hoteling arrangement, but the place seems rather desolate at the
Floyd | moment. Perhaps the team that uses this space isn't working feverishly
Floyd | for the demo, the way Engine team is. Or perhaps they're just
Floyd | elsewhere, who knows?
Floyd |
Floyd | There are racks all around the place. And it looks like we also have
Floyd | the F2 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Idd says (to Floyd), "x server"

Floyd | This nSure 3000 looks a lot like Wendy.
Floyd |
Floyd | One thing seems pretty funny, though. The machine is hooked up in a
Floyd | completely ass-reversed fashion, or, actually, in a way that's even
Floyd | worse. It just seems to be plugged into itself all over the place. It
Floyd | couldn't actually be doing anything useful, set up like this. This is
Floyd | a fake server, the equivalent of a blank book that is used for
Floyd | interior decorating purposes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "this game could use a 'go to location' mechanism like the Magnetic Scrolls games"

Floyd | Something doesn't seem quite right about how this server is seated,
Floyd | but when you give it a push, it doesn't move forward at all.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "look under server"

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "pull server"

Floyd | You pull the server towards you a bit and then release it. It falls
Floyd | back into place. The rack next to it slides aside to reveal a
Floyd | stairway, leading down, as if it were the most natural thing in the
Floyd | world.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers exclaims, "!"

Binder says, "woot"

jenrexrode yay

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "down"

Floyd |
Floyd | West End of Colossal Cave
Floyd | You are at one end of a vast hall stretching out of sight to the east.
Floyd | The walls are liquid rivers of orange stone, except for one dark patch
Floyd | where the stairway traces a path upward. The hall is filled with wisps
Floyd | of white mist that sway like Voldo from Soul Calibur.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "...what"

VictorGijsbers says, "Wahaha. :D"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf6"

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: ( Ok. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd |
Floyd | East End of Colossal Cave
Floyd | The orange pulsing walls and sadomasochistic ripples of mist that so
Floyd | disturbingly livened up the west side of this huge room are absent
Floyd | here. This part of the underground space is pretty much bare and
Floyd | white, shaped like a giant Bose speaker. One notable feature is the
Floyd | large black button with a right-pointing triangle on it. Curiously,
Floyd | you also notice a small plate on one of the walls here -- there must
Floyd | have been some method to Knut's madness.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Not like one of those plates you eat off of, but rather, like the
Floyd | proverbial metal plate in your head.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gary Gygax just stands there looking smug.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "read plate"

Floyd | Not like one of those plates you eat off of, but rather, like the
Floyd | proverbial metal plate in your head.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gary Gygax twists one hand over the other and, somehow, vanishes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Idd says (to Floyd), "push plate"

Floyd | The plate can basically be opened, if it's closed, or can be closed,
Floyd | if it's open. Other sorts of struggles with the plate are not likely
Floyd | to be efficacious.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You enclose your head in the blackness of the helmet. An instant and a
Floyd | soft beep later, you can somehow see and hear again. You don't seem to
Floyd | have any trouble breathing in the strange device, and it isn't as
Floyd | uncomfortable as one would imagine.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "look"

Floyd |
Floyd | East End of Colossal Cave
Floyd | This part of the underground space is pretty much bare and white,
Floyd | shaped like a giant Bose speaker. One notable feature is the large
Floyd | black button with a right-pointing triangle on it. The metal plate
Floyd | Knut mentioned is here, tilting open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "Perhaps one of the holograms was hiding something from view."

EmacsUser says, "Seems likely."

VictorGijsbers will be right back, but do play on!

Fang says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd |
Floyd | West End of Colossal Cave
Floyd | This is the west end of a cavernous space, all white and oddly-angled.
Floyd | Some sort of studio or research facility, no doubt. A stairway leads
Floyd | up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang says (to Floyd), "up"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Main Floor
Floyd | This is a large, open, and curiously empty workspace. There are racks
Floyd | all around.
Floyd |
Floyd | The one next to the F2 server has moved aside to reveal a stairway
Floyd | leading down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser asks, "Should we cover our tracks?"

Binder says, "hm, it no longer looks like a cave, nice"

DavidW says, "Sure, push the server back."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "push server"

Floyd | Something doesn't seem quite right about how this server is seated,
Floyd | but when you give it a push, it doesn't move forward at all.
Floyd |
Floyd | Seems like it might move. But cannot be pushed. Your mind races as you
Floyd | try to figure this one out.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "pull server"

Floyd | You give the server a tug towards you. The rack unit slides closed,
Floyd | and it's now as if the hidden stairway were a figment of your
Floyd | imagination.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "'K; carry on."

EmacsUser asks, "To the airport?"

Idd says, "sure"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Foyer
Floyd | This particularly uninviting room may have been included simply to
Floyd | reassure those without proper clearance that they are in the wrong
Floyd | place. To the north is the building's main floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "yeah"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray and black designer herd hurries past you, almost at a trot,
Floyd | brandishing picapoles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode asks, "a what?"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Picapoles?"

DavidW says, "No idea"

jenrexrode asks, "reality or no?"

Binder says, "reality with the helmet on."

EmacsUser says, "Oh."

EmacsUser says, "Pica poles."

Binder says, "or maybe just alternate unreality"

Binder says, "yeah, for measuring typefaces"

VictorGijsbers says, "A thin length of brass (the older ones) or aluminum, a pica pole measures inches on one side, ems or picas, on the other."

jenrexrode says, "oh like a pica stick"

jenrexrode says, "but bigger"

Binder says, "maybe it was a herd of tiny designers"

EmacsUser asks, "Did we want to check to time, or go straigt to the airport?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Front
Floyd | Even Main Street has nothing but a pair of warehouses on this end,
Floyd | where it meets Front Street. The airport wall is north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "O, sorry."

EmacsUser says, "No worries; go ahead."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport Server Room
Floyd | Raised floor, drop ceiling, and racks all around instead of walls make
Floyd | this place seem pretty comfy, at least if you're a patch cable. And it
Floyd | looks like we also have Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW asks, "Incidentally, have we seen anything in the game that helps explain why it has the title 'Book and Volume'?"

EmacsUser says, "Not that I can think of."

VictorGijsbers says, "Hm, it's a Hamlet and Inform 7 reference."

Binder says, "we rebooted Nora, not offlined it"

inky says, "well, this is the guy who brought you Curveship, you recall"

VictorGijsbers says, "And thy commandment all alone shall live / Within the book and volume of my brain, / Unmix'd with baser matter""

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x server"

Floyd | This nSure 3000 looks a lot like Wendy. Unfortunately, this server is
Floyd | probably now serving as a massive repository of pirated ninja movies.
Floyd | You sure wish you could remember how to turn these things off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This nSure 3000 looks a lot like Wendy. Unfortunately, this server is
Floyd | probably now serving as a massive repository of pirated ninja movies.
Floyd | You sure wish you could remember how to turn these things off.
Floyd |
Floyd | A crackling sound comes, somehow, from all around.
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a test of the nTopia civil alert system. If this were actually
Floyd | a --
Floyd |
Floyd | The recorded voice breaks off.
Floyd |
Floyd | ATTENTION. This is actually not a test. This is an alert. Severe dust
Floyd | and wind conditions are anticipated. In a calm and orderly fashion,
Floyd | please find shelter indoors, or remain indoors if you are there
Floyd | already, and refer from going outside until further notice. Refrain.
Floyd | Refrain from going outside. Don't be nervous. High risk of death if
Floyd | you don't get indoors. Calmly. Get indoors. Immediately.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then there is quiet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "close nlap"

Floyd | You close the nLap 500.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Oh boy."

VictorGijsbers says, "Well, at least we can check out some pirated ninja movies."

Binder says (to Floyd), "x nora"

Floyd | This nSure 3000 looks a lot like Wendy. Unfortunately, this server is
Floyd | probably now serving as a massive repository of pirated ninja movies.
Floyd | You sure wish you could remember how to turn these things off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says (to Floyd), "x nora's button"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "turn off nora"

Floyd | Once you figure out how to turn this server off, you can do whatever
Floyd | it is that turns this server off, and, as a result, the server will be
Floyd | turned off.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a granular howl from outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode asks, "press and hold?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "hold button"

Floyd | ( That is, "hold the server's red button." )
Floyd |
Floyd | You hold the server's button in a for a while, and the box whines to a
Floyd | halt, falling silent. When you release the button, the server remains
Floyd | lifeless.
Floyd |
Floyd | The harsh whistling sound continues.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | From here, it looks like it's possible to go west and out.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | The harsh whistling sound continues. The city outside remains obscured
Floyd | by dust.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd | There's more than one exit. Specify a direction to take one of them.
Floyd |
Floyd | The harsh whistling sound continues. The city outside remains obscured
Floyd | by dust.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "exits"

Floyd | From here, it looks like it's possible to go east and south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "hm, must be Lubbock"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | A wall of shifting orange-brown slams through the space and around
Floyd | you. What you were breathing is quickly as thick as an hourglass.
Floyd | First grit -- then stupor -- then the letting go --
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 8 of the 8 tasks
Floyd | assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

Floyd | At airport security they find that you are without a boarding pass.
Floyd | After a quick strip search, they politely turn you away.
Floyd |
Floyd | The harsh whistling sound continues. The city outside remains obscured
Floyd | by dust.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "I though that they were just trying to keep us indoors for a while."

EmacsUser says, "Er, thought."

DavidW asks, "Perhaps use computer?"

jenrexrode says, "ok"

EmacsUser says, "Yes, that's a good idea."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Is a pager a one-way device?"

EmacsUser asks, "Wait, I am confused. Where are we?"

DavidW says, "We're stuck at the airport."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport Server Room
Floyd | Raised floor, drop ceiling, and racks all around instead of walls make
Floyd | this place seem pretty comfy, at least if you're a patch cable. And it
Floyd | looks like we also have Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | The harsh whistling sound continues.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Hey, this looks like the airport! You can get on a plane here and go
Floyd | somewhere else! After you purchase a ticket, after you get your
Floyd | manager's approval for vacation time, and so forth!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Idd says (to Floyd), "close nlap"

Floyd | You close the nLap 500.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | There seems to be no trace of whatever sand was blowing all around,
Floyd | unless some of the buildings now have a slightly glossier finish.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Do we have a goal?"

jenrexrode asks, "wander around til pager goes off?"

EmacsUser says, "Not a clear one. Discerning reality perhaps."

VictorGijsbers says, "Shall we go the Library? Or the Incinerator? Or the Police Station? Or..."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Shall we check out whether the visitor's centre is open?"

jenrexrode says, "yeah"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Fang was killed when the Heinkel He 111 which was shuttling him to Berlin crashed shortly after takeoff in Salzburg at Ainring on 21 April 1944. Only his black metal hand was recovered from the wreckage. It received a full state funeral.

VictorGijsbers asks, "It's our day off! We ought to be enjoying ourselves. Hit on some... are we male or female, or certified gender neutral adventurer?"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | VNRC
Floyd | Words cut out of dark wood cover most of the walls, although a central
Floyd | space has a triptych of enormous video panels. A woman who exceeds the
Floyd | conventional standards of beauty is standing around cheerfully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "sure."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A very important-looking person wearing a green visor speeds by on a
Floyd | golden Sinclair C5.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are gripped by paralysis, unable to decide where to begin or end
Floyd | your shopping spree. After you breathe for a moment, the panic
Floyd | subsides. Perhaps you'll be able to go and shop after the stress of
Floyd | the demo has passed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "I don't think we can buy anything untel the demo has been finished."

Binder says, "hrmph, this doesn't match MY experience when shopping"

Binder says, "focus my consumer frenzy? NEVER"

EmacsUser says, "We might try the Wheelman for a unicycle."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Where is that?"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Or shell we just enter every likely building?"

EmacsUser says, "Main & 5th, a ways away."

EmacsUser says, "I don't know. Maybe it's easier just to nap."

VictorGijsbers says, "All right with me, whatever you want."

VictorGijsbers says, "Though I do want to know what Arcadia Ego is. :)"

VictorGijsbers says, "With its eery invocation of Death."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "wah there's more than one Gap, too"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Arcadia Ego
Floyd | Hey, this is just like in War Games, pretty much, except for the loads
Floyd | of games where you can control 3D figures that kick each other's ass,
Floyd | and the games where you dance or play a drum or fire shotguns, and the
Floyd | section of retro games. That section is just like in War Games,
Floyd | actually, except now it's all retro.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a din of digitized sound. What's visible of the walls is
Floyd | covered with multicolored squares, presumably in an attempt to make
Floyd | the atmosphere even more festive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Ah, an arcade."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "play game"

Floyd | What you have mentioned seems to be neither instrument or game, and
Floyd | not obviously playable.
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "play drum"

Floyd | What you have mentioned seems to be neither instrument or game, and
Floyd | not obviously playable.
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "x games"

Floyd | There are loads of games that look familiar but uncompelling. Looking
Floyd | through them, you find only one standout: LlamaFight 2000, a true
Floyd | classic.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "LLAMAFIGHT"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "play LlamaFight 2000"

Floyd | You are not sure you have the means to do so.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "play llamafight"

Floyd | You are not sure you have the means to do so.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Weird."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "x LlamaFight 2000"

Floyd | You remember LlamaFight 2000 as being totally awesome, and by totally
Floyd | awesome, you mean totally sweet. One or two players can participate in
Floyd | hard-hitting, bare-hoofed combat. In Europe the game was released
Floyd | under the name "Yie Ar Kung Llama."
Floyd |
Floyd | This righteous coin-op doesn't seem to use the nPediment payment
Floyd | system, as it has a lit coin slot that simply says "1".
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "We need coins."

EmacsUser asks, "Bank #0?"

DavidW says, "So it seems."

jenrexrode says, "yeah"

VictorGijsbers says, "byy coins"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "buy coins"

Floyd | This is one of the few places in nTopia where you can't buy anything.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison goes back to Squeamhurst..

Ellison has disconnected.

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This is one of the few places in nTopia where you can't buy anything.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "ask teller for coins"

Floyd | The teller either doesn't hear you or pretends not to hear you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask teller about coins"

Floyd | The teller either doesn't hear you or pretends not to hear you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask teller about bank"

Floyd | The teller either doesn't hear you or pretends not to hear you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "talk to teller"

Floyd | Since you know less about small talk than about Smalltalk -- and that
Floyd | isn't saying much -- it would be best to specify what you want to
Floyd | discuss.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "He has a banana in his ear."

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x teller"

Floyd | Dressed like a bank teller, standing behind a counter in a bank -- she
Floyd | almost certainly is a bank teller.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask teller for money"

Floyd | The teller produces some sort of tethered handheld device and begins
Floyd | tapping on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Yes, I see you've started the process of establishing an account with
Floyd | us. While your account has not yet been approved, as a courtesy to new
Floyd | residents of nTopia, and to remind you about how enjoyable personal
Floyd | financial transactions can be, we can convert one dollar from your
Floyd | nRich account into a physical representation of value."
Floyd |
Floyd | The device produces a coin, which the teller hands to you. She then
Floyd | puts the device away and tells you to have a nice day.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I gota a coin!"

jenrexrode says, "yay"

EmacsUser exclaims (at DavidW), "Good work!"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x coin"

Floyd | It's one of those new dollar coins with an armadillo on one side and
Floyd | half the head of Thomas Edison on the other.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bicyclist hurtles by, speaking Spanish on a hands-free phone.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The coin does seen like an obvious thing to put into the coin slot,
Floyd | but it's too thick to fit in there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Do dollar coins exist? They're bills, right?"

jenrexrode says, "get change"

EmacsUser says, "They do exist, but they are rare."

DavidW says, "argh. We need change."

EmacsUser says, "In the US, I assume you mean."

DavidW says, "We have dollar coins in Canada. We phased out dollar bills."

DavidW says, "We have two dollar coins, too."

jenrexrode asks, "automat?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Sure."

DavidW says, "The States, however, continues to resist the introduction of a mass produced dollar coin."

VictorGijsbers says, "Heh. It also resists the introduction of bills with different colours."

DavidW says, "They don't like changing too much too often."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "I guess the only advantage is that I clink less than when I'm using Euros."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fourth
Floyd | The local elementary school sits beside a gated playground to the
Floyd | northeast. Plywood closes off the site on the southeast corner, hiding
Floyd | whatever is being built there. The Pine and Elm, an apartment building
Floyd | you checked out and found just about identical to the Wild Palms, is
Floyd | southwest. On the northwest corner is an upscale variety store,
Floyd | MarMart.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "I don't know. In three days NY is amassed such a large amount of one cent coins that I clinked more than ever."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fifth
Floyd | Your apartment building is on the southwest corner. Opposite it is a
Floyd | windowless, blocky building. On the southeast corner Pharmicopia
Floyd | sprawls. Otto's Automat is to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "is -> I"

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Otto's Automat
Floyd | Someone, perhaps shellf, really got into Dark City. There couldn't be
Floyd | any other excuse for this combination vending machine and cafeteria,
Floyd | even though it may strain to look modern and appetizing. Pixelated
Floyd | smiley faces in an urgent red decorate everything, even the edges of
Floyd | the food-dispensing wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | The opportunity to avoid social contact during food selection is
Floyd | appealing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Binder says, "I think I see the pattern; trying to have a normal life triggers pages."

DavidW says, "I don't see a laundromat either. Oh well."

EmacsUser says (to VictorGijsbers), "That would work too."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "press pager's button"

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Gus needs his password reset now. Immediately. At the current time.
Floyd | Sorry it's so early. Also, be nice to him when you walk over and
Floyd | deliver his new password, since this weekend has been rough on
Floyd | everyone. He's in F2 and I'm now having your nPediment privileges set
Floyd | so you can walk right in there and find him. Thanks for rebooting the
Floyd | machines, by the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | It is, of course, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an automatic report about how you got owned, champ. That's
Floyd | right, one of your machines is puking out denial of service packets
Floyd | and needs to be offlined immediately. Better get it off your network
Floyd | before somebody other than a robot tells you about it. The victim is
Floyd | Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | It sounds like the perky cousin of that stupid stapler.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Disk failure. Disk hesitant, corrupted, ready for immolation. Replace
Floyd | the disk. Must be replaced prior to demo. Almost there. Almost at
Floyd | demo. We will make it. Replace the disk. Follow the procedure and
Floyd | incinerate the old disk once it has been replaced. The disk of the
Floyd | main server in F9. Access to F9 is currently being provided you. Go.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obviously, the message is from Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "We might want to get a replacement disk in the nWare store on the way."

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fourth
Floyd | The styling retail space on the northeast corner, nTune, is almost
Floyd | bare. To the southeast is the nTopia All-Faiths Chapel Complex.
Floyd | Unmistakable typography announces The Gap to the southwest, while the
Floyd | remaining corner features the smaller but less restrained posters of
Floyd | Comics Command.
Floyd |
Floyd | A woman on an oversized skateboard zooms past, pulling a Jack Russell
Floyd | terrier on a normal-sized skateboard.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Third
Floyd | A multi-level grocery store dominates the northeast corner, occupying
Floyd | the whole side of the block from here to Second. A windowless
Floyd | building, this one with a logo like a fork of lightning, is southeast.
Floyd | A shrouded establishment called "Gelatinous Cube" is southwest. On the
Floyd | final corner is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | nWare Store
Floyd | The products are incidentally on hand here. Usually nGeniuses are
Floyd | about to discuss tips and tricks that further enhance the virtues of
Floyd | nWare hardware and software, preaching to the clergy. Today, perhaps
Floyd | because of the impending demo, the place seems barren.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "buy disk"

Floyd | You don't have any means to effect a corporate disk drive purchase,
Floyd | and you certainly have no need to enhance your capacious nLap 500 with
Floyd | an additional drive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Or maybe not."

DavidW says (to Floyd), "take disk"

Floyd | This seems a likely place to find an nWare hard disk drive, but you
Floyd | don't notice any. If you wanted to buy one, though, you could try to
Floyd | -- somebody might be able to help you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "?"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "buy disk"

Floyd | You don't have any means to effect a corporate disk drive purchase,
Floyd | and you certainly have no need to enhance your capacious nLap 500 with
Floyd | an additional drive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Huh."

VictorGijsbers says, "Maybe we need to go to the server first? but this does seem like a bit og a bug/implementation failure."

EmacsUser says, "Yeah, it might be that there's an order to follow."

Limax arrives, full of fun and funk.

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | Three people covered with flour and ink run down the street in tears,
Floyd | disappearing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "People with flour and ink?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Beats tar and feathers."

EmacsUser says, "I don't think that I get that reference."

Limax asks, "How much have I missed?"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Where were we when you went?"

EmacsUser says, "I think Limax is just joining."

Limax says, "I just got here"

VictorGijsbers says, "Right. Quite a lot, we've been playing for 2 hours."

Lionheart can see a dream in your dance. Lionheart can see tomorrow in your dance. We can call it, "our hope"!

VictorGijsbers says, "Let's go to the server."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. A flat screen blinks on the east wall. You can't tell where the
Floyd | server room might be.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x screen"

Floyd | You read a curious message there: "All 'sensitives' on the Book Team
Floyd | should have been evacuated by now! If any are left consult the
Floyd | appropriate contact regarding evacuation ASAP IKYN!"
Floyd |
Floyd | A superannuated manager rushes in, fiddling with some sort of
Floyd | extremely advanced laser pointer. He casts an embarrassed glance at
Floyd | the flat panel and manipulates the laser pointer; the screen blinks
Floyd | off. With some other twist or twiddle of the device, the east wall
Floyd | slides open, and the flat panel moves with it, out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Come. In here."
Floyd |
Floyd | He ushers you east.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | The gentleman of great senectitude dashes off at an amazing pace,
Floyd | disappearing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Something here is not right."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x server"

Floyd | The remarkable thing here is the hard disk drive that is jutting out
Floyd | of a slot in the machine.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x drive"

Floyd | Fixed to the side of the charred hard disk is a purchase order for a
Floyd | replacement disk and a curt notice: DESTROY UPON FAILURE.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "take order"

Floyd | That seems to be a part of the defective disk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "So there is an order."

Idd says (to Floyd), "take disk"

Floyd | You withdraw the defective disk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers exclaims, "You know, what about _not_ destroying the disk? I think we need to start to rebel against our corporate overlords. Let's get at the data!"

DavidW says, "So we take the disk to the store, I guess, to get the replacement."

VictorGijsbers says (to David), "Yes, I guess so."

DavidW asks, "You think there's a way to read the disk instead?"

EmacsUser says, "This situation does look like an 'evacuation' of 'sensitives.'"

VictorGijsbers says, "I don't know. It's just that being who I am, I suspect every game of trying to lure me into mindless compliance."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "put disk in nlap"

Floyd | That can't contain things.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison arrives, ready to play with the toys.

jenrexrode save first, then try stuff, as usual

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf10"

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: ( Ok. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Hmm. I suspect that we are railroaded though."

VictorGijsbers says, "Yeah, might well be."

jenrexrode says, "we can show drive to people now"

VictorGijsbers says, "I'm fine with incinerating the disk."

DavidW says, "Unless we know more about what's what, I suppose."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Go to the store?"

EmacsUser says, "Aye."

jenrexrode says, "yeah"

DavidW says, "yeah"

VictorGijsbers says, "f go out"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "go out"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | nWare Store
Floyd | The products are incidentally on hand here. Usually nGeniuses are
Floyd | about to discuss tips and tricks that further enhance the virtues of
Floyd | nWare hardware and software, preaching to the clergy. Today, perhaps
Floyd | because of the impending demo, the place seems barren.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "buy disk"

Floyd | ( That is, "buy the merchandise." )
Floyd |
Floyd | By brandishing the busted disk drive, you manage to flag down a
Floyd | salesperson. The guy assisting you expertly produces a new and
Floyd | identically-shaped drive, stamping the old one with something red and
Floyd | indelible as he hands the new one to you and tells you what kind of
Floyd | day to have.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "yay"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | A man with the demeanor of a middle manager skips by in a long gray
Floyd | cape, peeling a banana at both ends.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "put disk in server"

Floyd | ... Are you referring to the new disk or the defective disk?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "new"

Floyd | As you insert the new hard disk drive, the slot seals itself closed,
Floyd | and the server looks the way that usual, fully functional server
Floyd | looks.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "If someone else takes over while I get another white beer..."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd |
Floyd | The sudden clamor and rush of a crowd sends you helplessly to the
Floyd | ground. With a grinding pull, a battalion in green aprons hurls itself
Floyd | over you and into the structure on the southwest corner. Perhaps you
Floyd | glimpse a pair of stunned figures in black T-shirts inside, shivering
Floyd | behind a counter. Your vision seems to be obscured for a moment by a
Floyd | milky steam.
Floyd |
Floyd | You stand, finally, unsure about what you seem to have witnessed,
Floyd | unsure about whether or not to hope it was real.
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Limax says, "We must be in Seattle"

EmacsUser asks, "sw?"

DavidW asks, "Was that structure sw of Campus South or sw of Main & Fourth?"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Oh, I could have saved time by reading more carefully."

jenrexrode exclaims, "incinerate!"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You are gripped by paralysis, unable to decide where to begin or end
Floyd | your shopping spree. After you breathe for a moment, the panic
Floyd | subsides. Perhaps you'll be able to go and shop after the stress of
Floyd | the demo has passed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "I want a Segway."

EmacsUser says, "Aw."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | The scheme of the city, and your previous wanderings, suggest to you
Floyd | that the incinerator isn't likely to be plopped down here in the
Floyd | middle of town.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Back
Floyd | Two uncannily clean but industrial-looking buildings sit on either
Floyd | side of Eel to the north. Back Street runs right along the railing
Floyd | that bounds the city to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have come to the edge of the plateau on which nTopia is built. Far
Floyd | below, past the railing, is the desert plain, stretching from reddish
Floyd | white to white, scraggled here and there with gray. The sky is lapis
Floyd | lazuli. Some highway stretches far off from east to west, as if it
Floyd | were an imperfect reflection of a line on a map.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Incinerator
Floyd | There's some corrugated steel-with-cinderblock-accents thing going on
Floyd | here. The floor ends to the west, where smoke and wailing rise from a
Floyd | pit. And it looks like we also have a double-cup panel lifter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The double-cup panel lifter can only be used to open and close floor
Floyd | panels.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "That description is so not helpful."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "take lifter"

Floyd | You conduct the acquisition.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser asks, "Where was that raised floor?"

jenrexrode says, "desert and straigh highways sound more like Lubbock, Tx than Seattle..."

DavidW says, "F9."

DavidW says, "I think."

EmacsUser says, "All server rooms, in fact."

VictorGijsbers asks, "And in every other server room, right?"

DavidW says, "Possibly."

Idd asks, "put disk in pit?"

EmacsUser says (to Idd), "Sure."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "throw disk in pit"

Floyd | You gingerly fling the defective disk into the pit, where it almost
Floyd | certainly goes the way of the gold standard.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Better do it before McDonalds and Burger King have invaded all restaurants."

Limax says, "Heh"

jenrexrode scales

EmacsUser asks, "Shall we inspect some floors first though?"

jenrexrode asks, "scales?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Sure, go and do it."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Back
Floyd | Two uncannily clean but industrial-looking buildings sit on either
Floyd | side of Eel to the north. Back Street runs right along the railing
Floyd | that bounds the city to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Back Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Back
Floyd | Back Street runs east behind City Hall here at the south end of
Floyd | nTopia. Eel is to the west. A warehouse is on the northwest corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | A cute little fire truck careers down the street, letting loose an
Floyd | occasional bottle rocket.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Mailboxes Ultra
Floyd | While most of the retail spaces are minimal or postmodern, this
Floyd | package pickup and dropoff point has more of the sense of a Hoboken
Floyd | everything 99 cents store.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "oops"

EmacsUser exclaims, "No, wait!"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "open mailbox"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "99 cents."

VictorGijsbers asks, "There's no mailbox?"

EmacsUser says, "And if the arcade is a penny arcade..."

VictorGijsbers suddenly understand what Penny Arcade means.

EmacsUser says, "Oh, but I am not reading carefully."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Gus needs his password reset now. Immediately. At the current time.
Floyd | Sorry it's so early. Also, be nice to him when you walk over and
Floyd | deliver his new password, since this weekend has been rough on
Floyd | everyone. He's in F2 and I'm now having your nPediment privileges set
Floyd | so you can walk right in there and find him. Thanks for rebooting the
Floyd | machines, by the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | It is, of course, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an automatic report about how you got owned, champ. That's
Floyd | right, one of your machines is puking out denial of service packets
Floyd | and needs to be offlined immediately. Better get it off your network
Floyd | before somebody other than a robot tells you about it. The victim is
Floyd | Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | It sounds like the perky cousin of that stupid stapler.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Disk failure. Disk hesitant, corrupted, ready for immolation. Replace
Floyd | the disk. Must be replaced prior to demo. Almost there. Almost at
Floyd | demo. We will make it. Replace the disk. Follow the procedure and
Floyd | incinerate the old disk once it has been replaced. The disk of the
Floyd | main server in F9. Access to F9 is currently being provided you. Go.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obviously, the message is from Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Gratitude. Appreciation. Systems working within adequate tolerances.
Floyd | Mental hygiene triage of team evidently complete. Programmers and
Floyd | artists working harmoniously together. Sky rent like sackcloth. Please
Floyd | remain on call. Productivity obtains. A time of peace is near.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your loving boss. It seems the guy reacts well to stress, once it gets
Floyd | past a certain level.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "gotta erase soon"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "hold pager's button"

Floyd | The pager emits a low beep after you hold the button down for about a
Floyd | second and a half.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers exclaims, "We didn't get a new job? He just thanked us? How unrealistic!"

jenrexrode says, "heh"

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "buy food"

Floyd | Your hacker frame can sustain itself for at least half a day on a
Floyd | single meal; you certainly aren't ready to have another one just yet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "aw"

EmacsUser asks, "se?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Sure/"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall Server Room
Floyd | There are just the usual racks here. The rest of the room is bare,
Floyd | with the usual drop ceilings and the usual raised floor providing a
Floyd | contrast to the unusual wooden walls outside. And it looks like we
Floyd | also have Sophie.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "open floor"

Floyd | Using the double-cup panel lifter somewhat more strenuously than you
Floyd | really should have to, you wiggle part of the floor open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There's no way you're going to be able to get into the raised floor
Floyd | wearing the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Oh."

jenrexrode says, "cool"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "doff SimulacCam"

Floyd | You take off the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "d"

Floyd | There's a curious amount of space under the floor to the north. You
Floyd | scoot into it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Darkness
Floyd | The darkness here may be the only profound thing in nTopia.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Heh."

jenrexrode says, "grue"

EmacsUser says (to jenrexrode), "Took the words out of my mouth."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "up"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd | There's more than one exit. Specify a direction to take one of them.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You open the nLap 500, which wakes the moment it begins to unfold.
Floyd |
Floyd | Passage
Floyd | Sometimes a horrifying conspiracy lives beneath the surface of
Floyd | reality. Sometimes, just a cramped crawlspace like this one, lacking
Floyd | even the dust that most such spaces have. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have an overhead ventilation grill.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "I recently encountered a grue in an Adam Thornton game. The result was unspeakable."

VictorGijsbers exclaims, "Smart!"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "x grill"

Floyd | It seems to be fastened with some screws or bolts, whatever the
Floyd | difference is, that are of surreal or alien design. No mass-market
Floyd | device is going to open this.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You make your way south and crawl out.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall Server Room
Floyd | There are just the usual racks here. The rest of the room is bare,
Floyd | with the usual drop ceilings and the usual raised floor providing a
Floyd | contrast to the unusual wooden walls outside. And it looks like we
Floyd | also have Sophie.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "find alien screwdriver"

EmacsUser asks, "To campus maybe?"

jenrexrode says, "pull up more floor"

jenrexrode says, "yeah"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Fifth
Floyd | The eastern corners are occupied by the two nicest residential options
Floyd | in town, The Maple Copse and Yew Village. City Hall has a face turned
Floyd | this way to the southwest. On the northwest corner are the colors and
Floyd | leafy tufts of the city gardens.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Octopus...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Fourth
Floyd | The nWare Media Campus is north; Octopus turns into the campus's main
Floyd | path on the north side of Fourth Street. To the southwest are the
Floyd | city's gardens, complementing the green of the campus with other
Floyd | herbifarous colors. A store called "Beverage Rack" is to the
Floyd | southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Octopus...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | F7 Server Room
Floyd | The raised floor is charcoal in color -- it's the sort seen in all
Floyd | nWare buildings that house really official business. The racks all
Floyd | around are also especially businesslike. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have Cindy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "open floor"

Floyd | Using the double-cup panel lifter somewhat more strenuously than you
Floyd | really should have to, you wiggle part of the floor open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "enter floor"

Floyd | You muddle around under the raised floor a bit, encountering only
Floyd | conduits and claustrophobia, not really even needing a lamp for the
Floyd | full experience. Then you get back out of there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "This one is less useful."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "close nlap"

Floyd | You close the nLap 500.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to jenrexrode), "Thanks."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two modified Segways, driven by school children, scream past each
Floyd | other at top speed, missing by inches. Then they career off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Foyer
Floyd | This particularly uninviting room may have been included simply to
Floyd | reassure those without proper clearance that they are in the wrong
Floyd | place. To the north is the building's main floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Main Floor
Floyd | This is a large, open, and curiously empty workspace. There are racks
Floyd | all around the place. And it looks like we also have the F2 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Foyer
Floyd | This particularly uninviting room may have been included simply to
Floyd | reassure those without proper clearance that they are in the wrong
Floyd | place. To the north is the building's main floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd | You're not cleared to enter the building over there. Although you work
Floyd | for nWare, the subdivisions of the Media division are pretty much
Floyd | walled off from each other.
Floyd |
Floyd | A sizable crowd of people wearing tye-dyed bedsheets babbles loudly,
Floyd | running past and away from you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | F7 Server Room
Floyd | The raised floor is charcoal in color -- it's the sort seen in all
Floyd | nWare buildings that house really official business. The racks all
Floyd | around are also especially businesslike. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have Cindy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "enter floor"

Floyd | There's no way you're going to be able to get into the raised floor
Floyd | wearing the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray and black designer herd hurries past you, almost at a trot,
Floyd | brandishing picapoles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport Server Room
Floyd | Raised floor, drop ceiling, and racks all around instead of walls make
Floyd | this place seem pretty comfy, at least if you're a patch cable. And it
Floyd | looks like we also have Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "open floor"

Floyd | Using the double-cup panel lifter somewhat more strenuously than you
Floyd | really should have to, you wiggle part of the floor open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "enter floor"

Floyd | There's no way you're going to be able to get into the raised floor
Floyd | wearing the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "doff SimulacCam"

Floyd | You take off the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "enter floyd"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "enter floor"

Floyd | You muddle around under the raised floor a bit, encountering only
Floyd | conduits and claustrophobia, not really even needing a lamp for the
Floyd | full experience. Then you get back out of there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Darn autocomplete."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | Something that looks like a parade float slides down the street. You
Floyd | notice some tonsured and robed man dancing on it. Then it turns away
Floyd | and continues on, out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & First
Floyd | The clothing store Niche Threads is to the northeast, while a fire
Floyd | station is across from it on the southeast corner. To the southwest is
Floyd | the tall, cylindrical, and multicolored Medical Center Plaza. What
Floyd | dominates the intersection, though, is the swooping MuseRoom, to the
Floyd | northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd | The Medical Center Plaza is not open right now. Looks like it opens at
Floyd | nine.
Floyd |
Floyd | A young couple runs past solemnly, wearing only Nikes and diapers.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW asks, "Are we still wearing the helmet or no?"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Second
Floyd | Proud Pie is on the northeast corner. The multi-level grocery store to
Floyd | the southeast spans the block down Abalone. To the southwest is the
Floyd | concrete RelOfCoTn building, a typical nWare structure. An apartment
Floyd | building, The Peachtree, is northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head into the building and over to the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | RelOfCoTn Server Room
Floyd | There are racks and racks, with the usual drop ceiling and raised
Floyd | floor one finds in the upscale server room. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have Wendy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "open floor"

Floyd | Using the double-cup panel lifter somewhat more strenuously than you
Floyd | really should have to, you wiggle part of the floor open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "doff SimulacCam"

Floyd | You take off the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "d"

Floyd | You muddle around under the raised floor a bit, encountering only
Floyd | conduits and claustrophobia, not really even needing a lamp for the
Floyd | full experience. Then you get back out of there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "wear SimulacCam"

Floyd | You once again don the strange helmet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Only the first floor we tried did something?"

EmacsUser says, "Yeah, I suspect that it places the interesting passage wherever we try first."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Was that the one where we heard a weird conversation through the air duct?"

VictorGijsbers says, "That's certainly possible."

EmacsUser says, "There's still the underground one, if we think we should try it."

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Second
Floyd | Main runs along the west edge of the nWare Media Campus. To the
Floyd | northwest is a Starbucks. The glass cube of the nWare Store sits on a
Floyd | park-like plot to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bald man runs screaming past you, pants on fire, pursued by a man
Floyd | without pants whose hair is on fire. They disappear around a corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus North
Floyd | The path to the west looks as nice as all the other campus walkways,
Floyd | but this is clearly an alley at the edge of town.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've barely noticed it, thanks to the way the streetlights have
Floyd | gradually filled in for the departing sun, but night has fallen.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus South
Floyd | The eastern edge of the city looks like a long, empty parking lot. The
Floyd | path onto campus to the west is typically impressive, though. There's
Floyd | a subtle brown door to the east here, set right in the dirt of the
Floyd | East Berm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | East Berm Server Room
Floyd | Much like other server rooms in this world of ours: racks, raised
Floyd | floor, drop ceiling. It seems to have been made a bit more spacious
Floyd | than it needs to be. And it looks like we also have Ester.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "open floor"

Floyd | Using the double-cup panel lifter somewhat more strenuously than you
Floyd | really should have to, you wiggle part of the floor open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "enter floor"

Floyd | There's no way you're going to be able to get into the raised floor
Floyd | wearing the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a loud and sudden microphone-tapping sound, followed by the
Floyd | shriek of feedback.
Floyd |
Floyd | ATTENTION, this is not an emergency. But there will be a demonstration
Floyd | of a project involving new technologies in just a few minutes. It may
Floyd | possibly result in some unusual irregularities. Don't be alarmed.
Floyd | Thank you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The civil alert system crackles back into silence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf14"

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: ( Ok. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "doff helmet"

Floyd | You take off the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "d"

Floyd | You muddle around under the raised floor a bit, encountering only
Floyd | conduits and claustrophobia, not really even needing a lamp for the
Floyd | full experience. Then you get back out of there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "wear helmet"

Floyd | You once again don the strange helmet.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | A warning shriek sounds, almost inside your head -- it's the helmet.
Floyd | "OVERLOAD," a stupidly calm voice says. The SimulacCam splits right
Floyd | down the middle, along the line of your nose, and falls, shattering on
Floyd | the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | A coming screams across the ceiling.
Floyd |
Floyd | All that you can see flickers into reverse video; even worse is the
Floyd | reverse audio, pure sound everywhere except for the globs of silence
Floyd | shrieked from innumerable mouths, your own one of these. The tongue
Floyd | cannot say what tastes and smells visit you. Your skin is crawling all
Floyd | over the ants. The round is world.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sixteen years later you arise from catatonia to play a single game of
Floyd | ping pong against a silentious Native American. It is a moment that
Floyd | Oliver Sacks would have written touchingly about. But the moment does
Floyd | not last.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 10 of the 10
Floyd | tasks assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

Floyd | You perform the relinquishment.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | A coming screams across the ceiling.
Floyd |
Floyd | All that you can see flickers into reverse video; even worse is the
Floyd | reverse audio, pure sound everywhere except for the globs of silence
Floyd | shrieked from innumerable mouths, your own one of these. The tongue
Floyd | cannot say what tastes and smells visit you. Your skin is crawling all
Floyd | over the ants. The round is world.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sixteen years later you arise from catatonia to play a single game of
Floyd | ping pong against a silentious Native American. It is a moment that
Floyd | Oliver Sacks would have written touchingly about. But the moment does
Floyd | not last.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 10 of the 10
Floyd | tasks assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Doesn't help..."

VictorGijsbers says, "Hm."

Limax says, "Looks like we need to keep the helmet on"

Limax says, "Maybe"

DavidW asks, "Does the helmet have any controls?"

EmacsUser says, "So we failed to avert whatever we were supposed to avert."

Floyd | Ah, yes. The SimulacCam. There it is.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | A coming screams across the ceiling.
Floyd |
Floyd | All that you can see flickers into reverse video; even worse is the
Floyd | reverse audio, pure sound everywhere except for the globs of silence
Floyd | shrieked from innumerable mouths, your own one of these. The tongue
Floyd | cannot say what tastes and smells visit you. Your skin is crawling all
Floyd | over the ants. The round is world.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sixteen years later you arise from catatonia to play a single game of
Floyd | ping pong against a silentious Native American. It is a moment that
Floyd | Oliver Sacks would have written touchingly about. But the moment does
Floyd | not last.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 10 of the 10
Floyd | tasks assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to DavidW), "I think not."

VictorGijsbers says, "I suspect we may be in an unwinnable situation right now."

DavidW says, "hmph."

jenrexrode says, "maybe we should buy a plane ticket"

EmacsUser says, "So we know how to deal with all of the work tasks. And we have the nstick and maybe the charred drive as uninvestigated leads."

EmacsUser says, "Also, the independent grounds."

DavidW asks, "A bit dissatisfying. Were we given any direction for what to seek, or were we floundering amongst a cityful of locations hoping to trip over a plot token?"

EmacsUser asks, "Or Independent Grounds, a coffee shop?"

EmacsUser says, "Hmm."

VictorGijsbers says, "IFWiki: 'Cruelty to be determined'. I think I know what to put there. :D"

DavidW asks, "hm. Does the game (or helmet) respond to 'xyzzy'? Or 'odysseus'?"

Floyd | You suddenly utter a great word of power known to you from your youth.
Floyd | Nothing happens.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Limax says, "Heh"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Wait, what happens when we wait right now?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "z.z.z.z"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | A warning shriek sounds, almost inside your head -- it's the helmet.
Floyd | "OVERLOAD," a stupidly calm voice says. The SimulacCam splits right
Floyd | down the middle, along the line of your nose, and falls, shattering on
Floyd | the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | A coming screams across the ceiling.
Floyd |
Floyd | All that you can see flickers into reverse video; even worse is the
Floyd | reverse audio, pure sound everywhere except for the globs of silence
Floyd | shrieked from innumerable mouths, your own one of these. The tongue
Floyd | cannot say what tastes and smells visit you. Your skin is crawling all
Floyd | over the ants. The round is world.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sixteen years later you arise from catatonia to play a single game of
Floyd | ping pong against a silentious Native American. It is a moment that
Floyd | Oliver Sacks would have written touchingly about. But the moment does
Floyd | not last.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 10 of the 10
Floyd | tasks assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

Limax says, "Not often does plugh get coded"

VictorGijsbers says, "Yep, it's a timed event."

Ellison asks, "I've been holding my tongue since I didn't want nm to read this transcript and see that I hadn't played this game yet, but given this games similarity to AMFV, are there any tasks we can continue to do (like the lull period in AMFV)?"

Ellison says, "game's"

Limax asks (of Ellison), "What will nm do to you?"

DavidW says, "I suppose we're hampered by not seeing the time of day."

jenrexrode says, "oh, so it's not this room that's killing us"

Ellison asks, "I take it typing 'time' doesn't do anything?"

EmacsUser says, "Let me fire up the z5 locally, to see what's on the status bar."

DavidW says (to Ellison), "I tried it."

EmacsUser says, "Location and time."

DavidW says, "I'm wondering if there's more hints on the conspiracy in locations we never visited."

VictorGijsbers says, "Lesson: always implement a command that shows the status bar in the main game window."

EmacsUser nods.

EmacsUser asks, "Should we do a systematic sweep?"

VictorGijsbers says, "I have a tendency to put essential information in the status bar."

VictorGijsbers says, "Yeah, we might, but we probabyl should get back to a save before we completed the last task."

EmacsUser says, "Right, but that's the glk layer."

EmacsUser says, "ILAC."

VictorGijsbers says, "Okay, playing this game for three hours has been pretty exhaustive. If someone else wants to do a thorough search, I'd be happy to watch it, but I don't think I'm going to contribute a lot."

Limax asks, "Do you think it's triggered by the completion of the last task?"

VictorGijsbers says, "So, is anyone still up to the challenge? We could also call it quits for now, and perhaps try again next week. It's fine with me if you play on, of course. :)"

EmacsUser says, "Sorry, distracted by discussion on #floyd."

EmacsUser says, "My vote is to pick up from here next week."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

Floyd | ( One of the answers above is needed. )
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf20110402"

Floyd | ( One of the answers above is needed. )
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "undo"

Floyd |

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd | ( One of the answers above is needed. )
Floyd | >

Idd asks, "restore?"

EmacsUser asks, "Yeah. Should we keep all of our saves?"

Ellison says, "I'd rather pick back up tomorrow if possible. I don't want us to get into the habit of stretching games out among several weeks unless it's a huge game we already knew we'd have to do that for going in"

Floyd asks, "That game over already? It was just getting good. Wanna play another?"

EmacsUser says (to Jacqueline), "Sorry for all that noise on the transcript."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd says (to EmacsUser), "Floyd doesn't know that trick."

DavidW has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.

EmacsUser disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.

Ellison has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.

Johnny does like justice, but that's taking it a bit far.

Fang disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.

jenrexrode has had her fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.

Ellison says, "dang it, ran into the time limit on the first day of Book & Volume. didn't know it was so harsh."

jenrexrode asks, "do you think all moves count, or jusst from some point?"

Ellison says, "I dunno. it's possible that the game was angry that I ate before being done with all of my tasks or I just took too long, I guess."

inky says, "ha ha"

inky says, "my vague recollection is I ran into the time limit the first time or two and then it wasn't an issue later"

Ellison says, "the city is surprisingly big for a game that's like OH GOOD THING THE CITY IS SO SMALL HA HA"

Ellison says, "dang, B&V breaks Trizbort's automapping feature"

Ellison asks, "how did people find that crawlspace before?"

Gerynar arrives, full of funk, but no fun.

maga disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.

Gerynar asks, "is the game still on, or did y'all finish it?"

jenrexrode says, "we found a suction cup."

Gerynar says "bloop" and shrinks down into a little dot, then winks out...just like those old-fashioned B&w televisions.

Gerynar has disconnected.

jenrexrode says, "no finish, restart tomorrow"

Ellison says, "oh yeah, the thing in the incinerator. I didn't pick that up."

Gerynar arrives, full of neither funk nor fun.

Gerynar has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.

genericgeekgirl asks, "Completely starting over, or just continuing?"

jenrexrode says, "continuing from some point where we're not running out of time, I guess. we got stuck with one move left before dying."

Ellison says, "ok, I'm caught up now... and also with no idea what to do"

jenrexrode says, "heh"

Ellison asks, "did you guys catch the scene where the person in black talks to you and says how she is going to get away?"

jenrexrode says, "i don't think so"

Ellison says, "it happened for me during the sand storm and I didn't remember you guys seeing it"

jenrexrode says, "we were at the airport during the sandstorm"

Ellison says, "yeah, I was just some random place"

Ellison says, "I figure you have to be in either a public place or possibly wearing the helmet"

Gerynar arrives, full of fun and funk.

Gerynar has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.

Ellison says, "awesome. I am making progress."

Ellison says, "ok, pretty sure I got the optimal ending... of course, this always happens *after* I had already textdumped the game intending to cheat."

Jacqueline asks, "Okay, so the game shall resume tomorrow?"

DavidW says, "That's the plan, yes."

Jacqueline says, "Honestly, unless someone needs Perry, I'm just going to leave him logging - have the whole thing on one transcript."

DavidW says, "We did get to an ending, but not a good one. :)"

Jacqueline nods.

jenrexrode says, "I think ellison finished on his own"

DavidW says, "The game has a timer, so simple UNDOs won't help us."

DavidW says (to jenrexrode), "I might do a little exploring on my own as well, if I find the time."

Ellison says, "yeah, I went playing on my own (not in the Toyshop), but I'd be happy to give gentle hints to anyone who wants them. I'm currently reading the textdump to see what kind of things I missed."

DavidW says, "Are we starting at 2pm? That's, like, soon."

VictorGijsbers arrives, full of funk, but no fun.

DavidW arrives, full of fun, but no funk.

VictorGijsbers says, "Hi."

DavidW says, "hi"

DavidW says, "You're the first one here."

DavidW says, "Jacqueline left Perry on overnight so there'd be one lo-o-o-ong transcript."

VictorGijsbers says, "We'll see who turns up. If it turns out noone could make it, we'll reschedule. (I'm not 100% sure I can be here for a long time.)"

VictorGijsbers says, "Heh. :)"

DavidW says, "Ellison was playing on his own last night; he's willing to offer hints if we want them."

VictorGijsbers asks, "All right. Did he finish the game?"

DavidW says, "I'm not sure."

DavidW asks (of Ellison), "Did you say you finished Book and Volume last night?"

genericgeekgirl arrives, full of neither funk nor fun.

DavidW says, "hi genericgeekgirl"

genericgeekgirl says, "Hey"

VictorGijsbers says, "Hey."

DavidW says, "I have no idea who all is showing up. I suppose we should at least wait a few minutes."

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "look"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I'm curious if we missed something in City Hall. I'd like to see the comic book store. And a Starbucks."

VictorGijsbers says, "Ok. I'd like to show the stick in the nWare store. Let's do those four things first."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | A man plods down the street and away from you, carrying an elderly man
Floyd | on his back and a Cabbage Patch doll in his arms.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | nWare Store
Floyd | The products are incidentally on hand here. Usually nGeniuses are
Floyd | about to discuss tips and tricks that further enhance the virtues of
Floyd | nWare hardware and software, preaching to the clergy. Today, perhaps
Floyd | because of the impending demo, the place seems barren.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "show nstick"

Floyd | You look ridiculous waving the nStick.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x nstick"

Floyd | It's an nStick, a proprietary memory storage device. You haven't seen
Floyd | this particular sort before, and it's not going to fit into any of the
Floyd | usual computer suspects -- your nLap or the servers you manage.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Hm. Buying a disk is easy, but I'm not sure what we could buy to get this thing working."

Ellison arrives, ready to play with the toys.

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Third
Floyd | A multi-level grocery store dominates the northeast corner, occupying
Floyd | the whole side of the block from here to Second. A windowless
Floyd | building, this one with a logo like a fork of lightning, is southeast.
Floyd | A shrouded establishment called "Gelatinous Cube" is southwest. On the
Floyd | final corner is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fourth
Floyd | The styling retail space on the northeast corner, nTune, is almost
Floyd | bare. To the southeast is the nTopia All-Faiths Chapel Complex.
Floyd | Unmistakable typography announces The Gap to the southwest, while the
Floyd | remaining corner features the smaller but less restrained posters of
Floyd | Comics Command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I think there's probably some device that the nStick will plug into that we'll find at the conspiracy HQ, or something like that."

Ellison says (to Floyd), "buy watchmen"

Floyd | You check all over for Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmena graphic
Floyd | novel you happen to really like, in which a sinister conspiracy is at
Floyd | work in an alternate but recognizable reality -- but there doesn't
Floyd | seem to be a copy anywhere around here. Too bad.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Could be. Here's your comic store. :)"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x comics"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Ellison), "heh. cute."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Heh, is not buying Watchmen all we can do?"

Ellison says, "yeah, seeing that was kind of a head-slapping moment"

Ellison says, "yeah"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Do you need knowledge of Watchmen to solve the game?"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "buy superman"

Floyd | You are gripped by paralysis, unable to decide where to begin or end
Floyd | your shopping spree. After you breathe for a moment, the panic
Floyd | subsides. Perhaps you'll be able to go and shop after the stress of
Floyd | the demo has passed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "weird, because Superman is in the front window, I think"

Floyd | You head east on Fourth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fourth
Floyd | The local elementary school sits beside a gated playground to the
Floyd | northeast. Plywood closes off the site on the southeast corner, hiding
Floyd | whatever is being built there. The Pine and Elm is southwest. On the
Floyd | northwest corner is an upscale variety store, MarMart.
Floyd | You head east on Fourth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | The sudden clamor and rush of a crowd sends you helplessly to the
Floyd | ground. With a grinding pull, a battalion in green aprons hurls itself
Floyd | over you and into the structure on the southwest corner. Perhaps you
Floyd | glimpse a pair of stunned figures in black T-shirts inside, shivering
Floyd | behind a counter. Your vision seems to be obscured for a moment by a
Floyd | milky steam.
Floyd |
Floyd | You stand, finally, unsure about what you seem to have witnessed,
Floyd | unsure about whether or not to hope it was real.
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | A sizable crowd of people wearing tye-dyed bedsheets babbles loudly,
Floyd | running past and away from you.
Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x diorama"

Floyd | Ah, yes. The diorama. There it is.
Floyd |
Floyd | You notice that it has a brass button on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "press brass button"

Floyd | That seems like it might do something. But it doesn't.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x benjamin franklin"

Floyd | Ah, yes. The diorama. There it is.
Floyd |
Floyd | You notice that it has a brass button on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x walls"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "I remember that the tube from which the stick came closed itself."

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x shellf"

Floyd | Ah, yes. The diorama. There it is.
Floyd |
Floyd | You notice that it has a brass button on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "Looks like it's just the diorama here."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take all"

Floyd | There are none.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode arrives, full of fun, but no funk.

DavidW says, "And yes, the tube closed up."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x tube"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall Server Room
Floyd | There are just the usual racks here. The rest of the room is bare,
Floyd | with the usual drop ceilings and the usual raised floor providing a
Floyd | contrast to the unusual wooden walls outside. And it looks like we
Floyd | also have Sophie.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I miss plenty when we're in CF."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Back
Floyd | Back Street runs east behind City Hall here at the south end of
Floyd | nTopia. Eel is to the west. A warehouse is on the northwest corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have come to the edge of the plateau on which nTopia is built. Far
Floyd | below, past the railing, is the desert plain, stretching from reddish
Floyd | white to white, scraggled here and there with gray. The sky is lapis
Floyd | lazuli. Some highway stretches far off from east to west, as if it
Floyd | were an imperfect reflection of a line on a map.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Back Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Back
Floyd | Two uncannily clean but industrial-looking buildings sit on either
Floyd | side of Eel to the north. Back Street runs right along the railing
Floyd | that bounds the city to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | A very important-looking person wearing a green visor speeds by on a
Floyd | golden Sinclair C5.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Incinerator
Floyd | There's some corrugated steel-with-cinderblock-accents thing going on
Floyd | here. The floor ends to the west, where smoke and wailing rise from a
Floyd | pit. And it looks like we also have a double-cup panel lifter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take lifter"

Floyd | You conduct the acquisition.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Back
Floyd | Two uncannily clean but industrial-looking buildings sit on either
Floyd | side of Eel to the north. Back Street runs right along the railing
Floyd | that bounds the city to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Ok, try the other server rooms first, and then head over to the weird one?"

DavidW says, "Sure."

DavidW says, "I have no preference."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Back Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Back
Floyd | Back Street runs east behind City Hall here at the south end of
Floyd | nTopia. Eel is to the west. A warehouse is on the northwest corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gang of perhaps twenty people on souped-up Segways powers past and
Floyd | disappears.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall Server Room
Floyd | There are just the usual racks here. The rest of the room is bare,
Floyd | with the usual drop ceilings and the usual raised floor providing a
Floyd | contrast to the unusual wooden walls outside. And it looks like we
Floyd | also have Sophie.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "lift ceiling"

Floyd | The ceiling is not close enough for you to palpate or deal with in
Floyd | that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "lift floor"

Floyd | Using the double-cup panel lifter somewhat more strenuously than you
Floyd | really should have to, you wiggle part of the floor open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Hm."

DavidW says (to Floyd), "stand on sophie"

Floyd | That's not something you can stand on.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Maybe the ceilings can't be opened after all."

jenrexrode asks, "did we restart?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "lower ceiling"

Floyd | The ceiling is not close enough for you to palpate or deal with in
Floyd | that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Nope, we loaded a save pretty near to the end."

VictorGijsbers says, "We have taken out but not replaced the defective disk."

jenrexrode says, "ok"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "climb sophie"

Floyd | You must have dozed off during the part of Spiderman that explained
Floyd | how to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "There might be one ceiling within reach, or maybe there's a stool we can use."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x ceiling"

Floyd | There's the ceiling. Right up there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "open ceiling"

Floyd | The ceiling is not close enough for you to palpate or deal with in
Floyd | that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Want to do a round of the server rooms?"

DavidW says, "sure."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "climb rack"

Floyd | You must have dozed off during the part of Spiderman that explained
Floyd | how to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Okay, let's do W, N, E, campus."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | A cute little fire truck careers down the street, letting loose an
Floyd | occasional bottle rocket.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fifth
Floyd | Your apartment building is on the southwest corner. Opposite it is a
Floyd | windowless, blocky building. On the southeast corner Pharmicopia
Floyd | sprawls. Otto's Automat is to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fourth
Floyd | The styling retail space on the northeast corner, nTune, is almost
Floyd | bare. To the southeast is the nTopia All-Faiths Chapel Complex.
Floyd | Unmistakable typography announces The Gap to the southwest, while the
Floyd | remaining corner features the smaller but less restrained posters of
Floyd | Comics Command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Third
Floyd | A multi-level grocery store dominates the northeast corner, occupying
Floyd | the whole side of the block from here to Second. A windowless
Floyd | building, this one with a logo like a fork of lightning, is southeast.
Floyd | A shrouded establishment called "Gelatinous Cube" is southwest. On the
Floyd | final corner is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Second
Floyd | Proud Pie is on the northeast corner. The multi-level grocery store to
Floyd | the southeast spans the block down Abalone. To the southwest is the
Floyd | concrete RelOfCoTn building, a typical nWare structure. An apartment
Floyd | building, The Peachtree, is northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A miniature ambulance pulls up. A bystander is quickly hoisted inside
Floyd | by two people clad in padded suits, and the ambulance drives off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd | You head into the building and over to the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | RelOfCoTn Server Room
Floyd | There are racks and racks, with the usual drop ceiling and raised
Floyd | floor one finds in the upscale server room. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have Wendy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "open ceiling"

Floyd | The ceiling is not close enough for you to palpate or deal with in
Floyd | that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "lower ceiling"

Floyd | The ceiling is not close enough for you to palpate or deal with in
Floyd | that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "touch ceiling"

Floyd | The ceiling is not close enough for you to palpate or deal with in
Floyd | that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head north on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & First
Floyd | The clothing store Niche Threads is to the northeast, while a fire
Floyd | station is across from it on the southeast corner. To the southwest is
Floyd | the tall, cylindrical, and multicolored Medical Center Plaza. What
Floyd | dominates the intersection, though, is the swooping MuseRoom, to the
Floyd | northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport Server Room
Floyd | Raised floor, drop ceiling, and racks all around instead of walls make
Floyd | this place seem pretty comfy, at least if you're a patch cable. And it
Floyd | looks like we also have Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "open ceiling"

Floyd | The ceiling is not close enough for you to palpate or deal with in
Floyd | that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "climb racks"

Floyd | You must have dozed off during the part of Spiderman that explained
Floyd | how to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "stand on racks"

Floyd | That's not something you can stand on.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "stand on nora"

Floyd | That's not something you can stand on.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "move racks"

Floyd | That is not manipulable in that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x racks"

Floyd |
Floyd | Airport Server Room
Floyd | Raised floor, drop ceiling, and racks all around instead of walls make
Floyd | this place seem pretty comfy, at least if you're a patch cable. And it
Floyd | looks like we also have Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take nora and throw it at the ceiling with a mighty cry of rage"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "No luck here, it seems."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e.e.e.s.s.s"

Floyd | You head east on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Front
Floyd | Even Main Street has nothing but a pair of warehouses on this end,
Floyd | where it meets Front Street. The airport wall is north.
Floyd | You head east on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Front
Floyd | Front Street continues its run alongside the airport. There is a
Floyd | warehouse on the southwest corner. The mall is under construction to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd | You head east on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin & Front
Floyd | The city goes no further north or east. There's just Front Lodge to
Floyd | the southwest.
Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin & First
Floyd | First Lodge is on the northwest corner. The nWare Media Campus is
Floyd | southwest of here, but there's no way onto campus from this
Floyd | intersection.
Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus North
Floyd | The path to the west looks as nice as all the other campus walkways,
Floyd | but this is clearly an alley at the edge of town.
Floyd | You head south on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus South
Floyd | The eastern edge of the city looks like a long, empty parking lot. The
Floyd | path onto campus to the west is typically impressive, though. There's
Floyd | a subtle brown door to the east here, set right in the dirt of the
Floyd | East Berm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | East Berm Server Room
Floyd | Much like other server rooms in this world of ours: racks, raised
Floyd | floor, drop ceiling. It seems to have been made a bit more spacious
Floyd | than it needs to be. And it looks like we also have Ester.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "This one is more spacious than it needs to be."

VictorGijsbers asks, "I wonder if that is significant?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x ceiling"

Floyd | There's the ceiling. Right up there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "lower ceiling"

Floyd | The ceiling is not close enough for you to palpate or deal with in
Floyd | that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "no idea"

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "climb rack"

Floyd | You must have dozed off during the part of Spiderman that explained
Floyd | how to do that.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x panel"

Floyd | There's the floor. Right down there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "raise floor"

Floyd | Using the double-cup panel lifter somewhat more strenuously than you
Floyd | really should have to, you wiggle part of the floor open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Maybe we should have been doubel cheking the floors."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "d"

Floyd | There's no way you're going to be able to get into the raised floor
Floyd | wearing the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take off helmet"

Floyd | You take off the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "d"

Floyd | You muddle around under the raised floor a bit, encountering only
Floyd | conduits and claustrophobia, not really even needing a lamp for the
Floyd | full experience. Then you get back out of there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Nothing here."

VictorGijsbers asks, "There are three servers on the campus, right?"

Ellison asks, "I am leaving soon! any last questions?"

DavidW says (to Victor), "I only remember two."

VictorGijsbers says, "Uh... is it likely we'll find the solution? :)"

DavidW says, "I was multitasking yesterday; I was counting on Fang being here again today for continuity."

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus South
Floyd | The eastern edge of the city looks like a long, empty parking lot. The
Floyd | path onto campus to the west is typically impressive, though. There's
Floyd | a subtle brown door to the east here, set right in the dirt of the
Floyd | East Berm.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "I'll save you some time. you already have figured out everything you need to know about floors and ceilings and all that. what you guys need next is out in the city, not any of the server areas."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin Behind Campus North
Floyd | The path to the west looks as nice as all the other campus walkways,
Floyd | but this is clearly an alley at the edge of town.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers exclaims (at Ellison), "Okay, thanks!"

VictorGijsbers says, "This would have been frustrating if it didn't lead anywhere."

jenrexrode says, "let's explore new places then"

DavidW asks, "There was mention of a visitor area near the airport. Brochure in there, maybe?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Let's check it out."

VictorGijsbers asks, "You drive?"

jenrexrode asks, "ask woman for brochure?"

VictorGijsbers says, "If that doesn't help, we can always try to walk out at all of the border locations."

VictorGijsbers says, "I don't think we even tried to go north at the airport."

DavidW says, "sorry, you caught me off guard"

VictorGijsbers says, "Back in a moment, feel free to explore."

DavidW says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Urchin...
Floyd |
Floyd | Urchin & First
Floyd | First Lodge is on the northwest corner. The nWare Media Campus is
Floyd | southwest of here, but there's no way onto campus from this
Floyd | intersection.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & First
Floyd | The main north-south path of the nWare Media Campus meets Octopus on
Floyd | the south side. Roy's, a favorite hacker hangout and supplier of
Floyd | takeout, is on the northwest corner. The mall is under construction to
Floyd | the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Octopus...
Floyd |
Floyd | Octopus & Front
Floyd | Front Street continues its run alongside the airport. There is a
Floyd | warehouse on the southwest corner. The mall is under construction to
Floyd | the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd | The warehouse isn't open to the public, or to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | A woman hurries by, loudly reciting art criticism by John Ashbery and
Floyd | occasionally making some sort of nonhuman primate sound.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Front
Floyd | Even Main Street has nothing but a pair of warehouses on this end,
Floyd | where it meets Front Street. The airport wall is north.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Front Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | The visitor center is not open right now. Looks like it opens at ten.
Floyd |
Floyd | A man plods down the street and away from you, carrying an elderly man
Floyd | on his back and a Cabbage Patch doll in his arms.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x airport"

Floyd | Upon further inspection, the only things that stand out are the tall,
Floyd | rectangular nature of the arch, and the fact that it is topped with
Floyd | red flashing lights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x arch"

Floyd | Upon further inspection, the only things that stand out are the tall,
Floyd | rectangular nature of the arch, and the fact that it is topped with
Floyd | red flashing lights.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x lights"

Floyd | Upon further inspection, the only things that stand out are the tall,
Floyd | rectangular nature of the arch, and the fact that it is topped with
Floyd | red flashing lights.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two modified Segways, driven by school children, scream past each
Floyd | other at top speed, missing by inches. Then they career off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "Wish I could tell what time it is."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Can we get in the airport?"

DavidW asks, "Of course. Why?"

VictorGijsbers asks, "And then pass the security?"

DavidW says, "I don't think so."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | Your intimate friends at airport security recognize you, find that you
Floyd | still lack a boarding pass, and look at you with concern. You do not
Floyd | get to go in.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I think we tried that."

VictorGijsbers says, "Oh, I missed that."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x kiosk"

Floyd | Nice kiosk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "The visitor center was closed; open at 10."

Ellison says, "ok, gotta go. back later!"

VictorGijsbers asks, "O, really? But surely, it is 10 already?"

DavidW says, "I don't know!"

VictorGijsbers says, "This was the last stage of our game."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison goes back to Squeamhurst..

Ellison has disconnected.

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | You think you catch a glimpse of someone down the street leaping out a
Floyd | window and deploying a parachute, but a second glance finds nothing
Floyd | out of the ordinary going on.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd | The Gap is not open right now. Looks like it opens at ten.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've barely noticed it, thanks to the way the streetlights have
Floyd | gradually filled in for the departing sun, but night has fallen.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I was going to check the library next."

VictorGijsbers says, "Hm, weird. Sure, check it out."

jenrexrode asks, "night?"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Maybe it is now too late?"

VictorGijsbers says (to jenrexrode), "Yes, maybe."

jenrexrode says, "so instead of too early, we're too late"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & First
Floyd | The clothing store Niche Threads is to the northeast, while a fire
Floyd | station is across from it on the southeast corner. To the southwest is
Floyd | the tall, cylindrical, and multicolored Medical Center Plaza. What
Floyd | dominates the intersection, though, is the swooping MuseRoom, to the
Floyd | northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x museroom"

Floyd | Cultural hub of nTopia, this peripheral building holds both the city's
Floyd | museum and the only library. Like the Medical and Professional Center
Floyd | across from it, it is radially symmetric. While lacking colored
Floyd | stripes, it does have the shape of an alien chesspiece and a facade
Floyd | entirely made of rose-colored glass. Someone very famous designed it
Floyd | and cackled gleefully when it was completed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd | The MuseRoom is not open right now. Looks like it opens at nine.
Floyd |
Floyd | One guy on Rollerblades and one in a racing wheelchair whisper past,
Floyd | both with hockey sticks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "Frustrating."

DavidW says, "I bet blind players have to deal with this all the time."

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x medical"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Shall we try to check the borders of the city?"

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd | The Medical Center Plaza is not open right now. Looks like it opens at
Floyd | nine.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a loud and sudden microphone-tapping sound, followed by the
Floyd | shriek of feedback.
Floyd |
Floyd | ATTENTION, this is not an emergency. But there will be a demonstration
Floyd | of a project involving new technologies in just a few minutes. It may
Floyd | possibly result in some unusual irregularities. Don't be alarmed.
Floyd | Thank you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The civil alert system crackles back into silence.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bald man runs screaming past you, pants on fire, pursued by a man
Floyd | without pants whose hair is on fire. They disappear around a corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "uh oh"

VictorGijsbers says, "Ah, reloading time soon."

VictorGijsbers says, "We didn't do anything too useful."

DavidW says, "We might want to restore from an earlier point."

VictorGijsbers says, "Fine with me, though I suspect that if there is way out of the city, it will be there at any time. (I'm not sure, of course.)"

jenrexrode says, "ellison said out in the city, not outside of the city"

DavidW says, "My guess is that the helmet can save us if it's modified somehow."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Oh, uh, really?"

jenrexrode says, "i think the way out is to buy a plane ticket."

jenrexrode says, "but can't do that until boss is happy"

DavidW says, "I don't think we're trying to leave the city."

jenrexrode says, "only after mission accomplished"

VictorGijsbers says, "O yes, out in the city. I read that wrong."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Second
Floyd | Proud Pie is on the northeast corner. The multi-level grocery store to
Floyd | the southeast spans the block down Abalone. To the southwest is the
Floyd | concrete RelOfCoTn building, a typical nWare structure. An apartment
Floyd | building, The Peachtree, is northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "So it's out om the in the city, and in a location that we have already visited, according to Ellison."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Third
Floyd | A multi-level grocery store dominates the northeast corner, occupying
Floyd | the whole side of the block from here to Second. A windowless
Floyd | building, this one with a logo like a fork of lightning, is southeast.
Floyd | A shrouded establishment called "Gelatinous Cube" is southwest. On the
Floyd | final corner is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | A warning shriek sounds, almost inside your head -- it's the helmet.
Floyd | "OVERLOAD," a stupidly calm voice says. The SimulacCam splits right
Floyd | down the middle, along the line of your nose, and falls, shattering on
Floyd | the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | A coming screams across the sky.
Floyd |
Floyd | All that you can see flickers into reverse video; even worse is the
Floyd | reverse audio, pure sound everywhere except for the globs of silence
Floyd | shrieked from innumerable mouths, your own one of these. The tongue
Floyd | cannot say what tastes and smells visit you. Your skin is crawling all
Floyd | over the ants. The round is world.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sixteen years later you arise from catatonia to play a single game of
Floyd | ping pong against a silentious Native American. It is a moment that
Floyd | Oliver Sacks would have written touchingly about. But the moment does
Floyd | not last.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 8 of the 10
Floyd | tasks assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Modifying the simulaccam sounds like a reasonable idea."

Floyd |
Floyd | Airport Server Room
Floyd | Raised floor, drop ceiling, and racks all around instead of walls make
Floyd | this place seem pretty comfy, at least if you're a patch cable. And it
Floyd | looks like we also have Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Hey, this looks like the airport! You can get on a plane here and go
Floyd | somewhere else! After you purchase a ticket, after you get your
Floyd | manager's approval for vacation time, and so forth!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | There seems to be no trace of whatever sand was blowing all around,
Floyd | unless some of the buildings now have a slightly glossier finish.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | VNRC
Floyd | Words cut out of dark wood cover most of the walls, although a central
Floyd | space has a triptych of enormous video panels. A woman who exceeds the
Floyd | conventional standards of beauty is standing around cheerfully.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Good. It's after the sand storm, and the shops are still open."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x helmet"

Floyd | Some of the most difficult things to look at are those that are
Floyd | currently enclosing your head.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & First
Floyd | The clothing store Niche Threads is to the northeast, while a fire
Floyd | station is across from it on the southeast corner. To the southwest is
Floyd | the tall, cylindrical, and multicolored Medical Center Plaza. What
Floyd | dominates the intersection, though, is the swooping MuseRoom, to the
Floyd | northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | MuseRoom
Floyd | The swelling space of the MuseRoom is flooded with light from above
Floyd | and ringed with hypermodern paintings. A stairway curls along the far
Floyd | wall, leading up to the library on the second floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x paintings"

Floyd | They are pixorealist paintings that look like beautiful backgrounds
Floyd | you could use on your desktop.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You pick a book off the shelf and read for a bit.
Floyd |
Floyd | ... The head and in frontal attack on an English writer that the
Floyd | character of this point is therefore another method for the letters
Floyd | ...
Floyd |
Floyd | Then you replace it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "search books"

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x books"

Floyd | You pick a book off the shelf and read for a bit.
Floyd |
Floyd | ... The quench and in aye attack on some obtain writer that the sign
Floyd | of this point is therefore another bite for the restore ...
Floyd |
Floyd | Then you replace it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Sounds like one of Nick's prose generation projects."

DavidW says, "Not unentirely unexpected."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x sunlights"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I was hoping for a stool to stand on."

VictorGijsbers says, "Yes, but apparently we don't need to do anything with a ceiling."

DavidW says, "Also, libraries are supposedly filled with info."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Did we pass out and go to the hospital already, at this stage?"

DavidW says, "yes, but go revisit."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Mind if I check out some other places?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "d"

Floyd |
Floyd | MuseRoom
Floyd | The swelling space of the MuseRoom is flooded with light from above
Floyd | and ringed with hypermodern paintings. A stairway curls along the far
Floyd | wall, leading up to the library on the second floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & First
Floyd | The clothing store Niche Threads is to the northeast, while a fire
Floyd | station is across from it on the southeast corner. To the southwest is
Floyd | the tall, cylindrical, and multicolored Medical Center Plaza. What
Floyd | dominates the intersection, though, is the swooping MuseRoom, to the
Floyd | northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "yeah, drive, please."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Third
Floyd | A multi-level grocery store dominates the northeast corner, occupying
Floyd | the whole side of the block from here to Second. A windowless
Floyd | building, this one with a logo like a fork of lightning, is southeast.
Floyd | A shrouded establishment called "Gelatinous Cube" is southwest. On the
Floyd | final corner is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fourth
Floyd | The styling retail space on the northeast corner, nTune, is almost
Floyd | bare. To the southeast is the nTopia All-Faiths Chapel Complex.
Floyd | Unmistakable typography announces The Gap to the southwest, while the
Floyd | remaining corner features the smaller but less restrained posters of
Floyd | Comics Command.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Fifth
Floyd | Your apartment building is on the southwest corner. Opposite it is a
Floyd | windowless, blocky building. On the southeast corner Pharmicopia
Floyd | sprawls. Otto's Automat is to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "The doorman might have a message for us. I dunno, I'm guessing."

Floyd | The old-style lock opens to you with already-practiced ease, and you
Floyd | walk in. You switch the light on.
Floyd |
Floyd | Home
Floyd | It's your residential canister. Your lime-green couch is against the
Floyd | longest wall. And it looks like we also have a heap of clothes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head east on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | A woman wearing some small display on her glasses pushes herself past
Floyd | on a Razor scooter, dictating Python into a headset.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Mailboxes Ultra
Floyd | While most of the retail spaces are minimal or postmodern, this
Floyd | package pickup and dropoff point has more of the sense of a Hoboken
Floyd | everything 99 cents store.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "get mail"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x package"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Nothing."

DavidW asks, "oh, weren't we going to try to buy something at 99 cents with the coin from the bank and then use the penny at the arcade?"

maga disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.

DavidW says, "oh"

DavidW asks, "Nothing's actually on sale there?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Don't think so, and the 99 cent store is only a metaphor."

DavidW says, "oh"

VictorGijsbers says, "Oh well, let's continue to look around."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | Here we go again. Your pager goes off in its usual buzzing, vibrating
Floyd | fit.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Pager."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "press button"

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Gus needs his password reset now. Immediately. At the current time.
Floyd | Sorry it's so early. Also, be nice to him when you walk over and
Floyd | deliver his new password, since this weekend has been rough on
Floyd | everyone. He's in F2 and I'm now having your nPediment privileges set
Floyd | so you can walk right in there and find him. Thanks for rebooting the
Floyd | machines, by the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | It is, of course, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an automatic report about how you got owned, champ. That's
Floyd | right, one of your machines is puking out denial of service packets
Floyd | and needs to be offlined immediately. Better get it off your network
Floyd | before somebody other than a robot tells you about it. The victim is
Floyd | Nora.
Floyd |
Floyd | It sounds like the perky cousin of that stupid stapler.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Disk failure. Disk hesitant, corrupted, ready for immolation. Replace
Floyd | the disk. Must be replaced prior to demo. Almost there. Almost at
Floyd | demo. We will make it. Replace the disk. Follow the procedure and
Floyd | incinerate the old disk once it has been replaced. The disk of the
Floyd | main server in F9. Access to F9 is currently being provided you. Go.
Floyd |
Floyd | Obviously, the message is from Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A woman on an oversized skateboard zooms past, pulling a Jack Russell
Floyd | terrier on a normal-sized skateboard.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Hello end game."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | The sudden clamor and rush of a crowd sends you helplessly to the
Floyd | ground. With a grinding pull, a battalion in green aprons hurls itself
Floyd | over you and into the structure on the southwest corner. Perhaps you
Floyd | glimpse a pair of stunned figures in black T-shirts inside, shivering
Floyd | behind a counter. Your vision seems to be obscured for a moment by a
Floyd | milky steam.
Floyd |
Floyd | You stand, finally, unsure about what you seem to have witnessed,
Floyd | unsure about whether or not to hope it was real.
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | nWare Store
Floyd | The products are incidentally on hand here. Usually nGeniuses are
Floyd | about to discuss tips and tricks that further enhance the virtues of
Floyd | nWare hardware and software, preaching to the clergy. Today, perhaps
Floyd | because of the impending demo, the place seems barren.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "buy helmet"

Floyd | You are gripped by paralysis, unable to decide where to begin or end
Floyd | your shopping spree. After you breathe for a moment, the panic
Floyd | subsides. Perhaps you'll be able to go and shop after the stress of
Floyd | the demo has passed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "yeah, mindless exploration like this is difficult in a group setting."

DavidW says, "Shame Ellison left."

DavidW asks, "What's in Wheelman?"

VictorGijsbers says, "They sell nikes and stuff."

VictorGijsbers says, "Okay, we need to get something in the arcade."

VictorGijsbers says, "I think."

VictorGijsbers says, "So we need to solve the coin problem."

DavidW asks, "That Llama game or whatever it was?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Where I said 'nikes', I meant 'bikes'."

DavidW asks, "Can we use our coin from the bank at the automat?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Nope, the automat uses the crad."

VictorGijsbers says, "card"

VictorGijsbers says, "Let's check out the arcade again."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "look"

Floyd |
Floyd | nWare Store
Floyd | The products are incidentally on hand here. Usually nGeniuses are
Floyd | about to discuss tips and tricks that further enhance the virtues of
Floyd | nWare hardware and software, preaching to the clergy. Today, perhaps
Floyd | because of the impending demo, the place seems barren.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | Something that looks like a parade float slides down the street. You
Floyd | notice some tonsured and robed man dancing on it. Then it turns away
Floyd | and continues on, out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Arcadia Ego
Floyd | Hey, this is just like in War Games, pretty much, except for the loads
Floyd | of games where you can control 3D figures that kick each other's ass,
Floyd | and the games where you dance or play a drum or fire shotguns, and the
Floyd | section of retro games. That section is just like in War Games,
Floyd | actually, except now it's all retro.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a din of digitized sound. What's visible of the walls is
Floyd | covered with multicolored squares, presumably in an attempt to make
Floyd | the atmosphere even more festive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x game"

Floyd | There are loads of games that look familiar but uncompelling. Looking
Floyd | through them, you find only one standout: LlamaFight 2000, a true
Floyd | classic.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x llamafight"

Floyd | You remember LlamaFight 2000 as being totally awesome, and by totally
Floyd | awesome, you mean totally sweet. One or two players can participate in
Floyd | hard-hitting, bare-hoofed combat. In Europe the game was released
Floyd | under the name "Yie Ar Kung Llama."
Floyd |
Floyd | This righteous coin-op doesn't seem to use the nPediment payment
Floyd | system, as it has a lit coin slot that simply says "1".
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | This is one of the few places in nTopia where you can't buy anything.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Wait, we didn't get the coin yet."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "The coin from the bank doesn't fit in the LlamaFight, though."

VictorGijsbers asks, "teller for coin"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "ask teller for coin"

Floyd | The teller produces some sort of tethered handheld device and begins
Floyd | tapping on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Yes, I see you've started the process of establishing an account with
Floyd | us. While your account has not yet been approved, as a courtesy to new
Floyd | residents of nTopia, and to remind you about how enjoyable personal
Floyd | financial transactions can be, we can convert one dollar from your
Floyd | nRich account into a physical representation of value."
Floyd |
Floyd | The device produces a coin, which the teller hands to you. She then
Floyd | puts the device away and tells you to have a nice day.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask teller for quarters"

Floyd | The teller either doesn't hear you or pretends not to hear you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask teller for change"

Floyd | The teller either doesn't hear you or pretends not to hear you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask teller for coin"

Floyd | The teller produces some sort of tethered handheld device and begins
Floyd | tapping on it.
Floyd | "We cannot dispense old-style funds to you at this point until you
Floyd | have an approved account," she replies.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You can manage to change your clothes, and not much else -- try a
Floyd | different way of stating that if you want to do something else.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "There is one other thing on the spoiler map that we haven't done yet."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Mind if I say which location it is?"

DavidW says, "I really have no idea. I have such a disconnected sense of the game."

VictorGijsbers says, "Yeah. Let's head over to the post office."

VictorGijsbers says, "It also says 'coin'."

VictorGijsbers says, "Maybe they have a better coin, or we can exchange ours."

DavidW asks, "oh, coin machine there, maybe?"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Maybe?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gang of perhaps twenty people on souped-up Segways powers past and
Floyd | disappears.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Post Office
Floyd | For a marble-coated civic bunker, it's a rather homey place. The one
Floyd | service window on a wall of mailboxes is shuttered with dull brass. An
Floyd | APM is installed opposite the window.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "APM."

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x apm"

Floyd | Nice kiosk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "use apm"

Floyd | You touch the screen to get started, and a progression of several
Floyd | dozen windows pop up over each each other, as if you've just won a
Floyd | game of nSolitare. The one that freezes on top for a moment says "nSys
Floyd | for Kiosk Error Number n + 7. Rebooting."
Floyd |
Floyd | The machine blinks and returns to its original state.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW asks, "What's an APM?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Automated teller machine."

VictorGijsbers says, "Hole in the wall."

VictorGijsbers asks, "I don't know what you'd call them?"

DavidW says, "ATM, I know. APM, I've never heard of."

VictorGijsbers says, "O wait."

VictorGijsbers says, "AOM."

VictorGijsbers says, "APM."

VictorGijsbers says, "Hm."

VictorGijsbers says, "Automated postmaster machine? :)"

jenrexrode asks, "automated postal machine?"

jenrexrode says, "yeah"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x mailboxes"

Floyd | Looking at the wall reminds you that you're supposed to get assigned a
Floyd | mailbox sometime soon. After that's done and mail forwarding begins,
Floyd | you can continue receiving those hand-written, ink-spattered poetry
Floyd | submissions that various prisoners in a facility in North Dakota have
Floyd | been sending you for no apparent reason.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "It's possible the APM is dependent on the servers working."

Floyd | If you only knew how to attack a problem like this one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "open window"

Floyd | That's not something you can open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x apm"

Floyd | Nice kiosk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "look in apm"

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I would never have guessed to use a 'kiosk'."

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "knock on shutters"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "I thought it was like at the airport or our building."

jenrexrode says, "there's one at the medical center, too"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "hit apm"

Floyd | If you only knew how to attack a problem like this one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "kick apm"

Floyd | If you only knew how to attack a problem like this one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "reboot apm"

Floyd | Gee, how could you do that?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "turn off apm"

Floyd | That's not something you can turn off and on.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "open apm"

Floyd | That's not something you can open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "look behind apm"

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "pull apm"

Floyd | You can't.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "enter apm"

Floyd | That's not something you can enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "put coin in apm"

Floyd | That can't contain things.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "use apm"

Floyd | You touch the screen to get started, and a progression of several
Floyd | dozen windows pop up over each each other, as if you've just won a
Floyd | game of nSolitare. The one that freezes on top for a moment says "nSys
Floyd | for Kiosk Error Number n + 7. Rebooting."
Floyd |
Floyd | The machine blinks and returns to its original state.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "On the other hand, Ellison claimed we could solve the game without going to a new location, and this is a new location."

DavidW says, "I don't know that it is new."

VictorGijsbers asks, "I don't think we went here? Or did we?"

DavidW says, "I don't remember."

VictorGijsbers says, "Well, let's try whether we might not be able to get a token for our arcade game in the arcade? I don't see how we're going to do anything here."

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd | You head west on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | A cute little fire truck careers down the street, letting loose an
Floyd | occasional bottle rocket.
Floyd |
Floyd | Arcadia Ego
Floyd | There's a din of digitized sound. What's visible of the walls is
Floyd | covered with multicolored squares, presumably in an attempt to make
Floyd | the atmosphere even more festive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "buy token"

Floyd | This is one of the few places in nTopia where you can't buy anything.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "But you can't 'buy' anything at the arcade."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "get token"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "put coin in machine"

Floyd | The coin does seen like an obvious thing to put into the coin slot,
Floyd | but it's too thick to fit in there.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | ( Ways to leave the current location are shown in the upper left, when
Floyd | there are such ways, and can also be revealed by typing EXITS. SCORE
Floyd | shows the current score and FULL SCORE adds a breakdown of which tasks
Floyd | have been done and which remain. Book and Volume is a fairly typical
Floyd | piece of interactive fiction as far as the interface and possible
Floyd | commands to the player character are concerned. Those unfamiliar with
Floyd | interactive fiction should read the introduction that is available
Floyd | from the starting menu. It can be accessed from the prompt by typing
Floyd | INTRO. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "afk for a minute or two"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. A flat screen blinks on the east wall. You can't tell where the
Floyd | server room might be.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x screen"

Floyd | You read a curious message there: "All 'sensitives' on the Book Team
Floyd | should have been evacuated by now! If any are left consult the
Floyd | appropriate contact regarding evacuation ASAP IKYN!"
Floyd |
Floyd | A superannuated manager rushes in, fiddling with some sort of
Floyd | extremely advanced laser pointer. He casts an embarrassed glance at
Floyd | the flat panel and manipulates the laser pointer; the screen blinks
Floyd | off. With some other twist or twiddle of the device, the east wall
Floyd | slides open, and the flat panel moves with it, out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Come. In here."
Floyd |
Floyd | He ushers you east.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | The gentleman of great senectitude dashes off at an amazing pace,
Floyd | disappearing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take disk"

Floyd | You withdraw the defective disk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | nWare Store
Floyd | The products are incidentally on hand here. Usually nGeniuses are
Floyd | about to discuss tips and tricks that further enhance the virtues of
Floyd | nWare hardware and software, preaching to the clergy. Today, perhaps
Floyd | because of the impending demo, the place seems barren.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "buy disk"

Floyd | ( That is, "buy the merchandise." )
Floyd |
Floyd | By brandishing the busted disk drive, you manage to flag down a
Floyd | salesperson. The guy assisting you expertly produces a new and
Floyd | identically-shaped drive, stamping the old one with something red and
Floyd | indelible as he hands the new one to you and tells you what kind of
Floyd | day to have.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | A man with the demeanor of a middle manager skips by in a long gray
Floyd | cape, peeling a banana at both ends.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "put disk in server"

Floyd | ... Are you referring to the new disk or the defective disk?
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "new"

Floyd | As you insert the new hard disk drive, the slot seals itself closed,
Floyd | and the server looks the way that usual, fully functional server
Floyd | looks.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | A bald man runs screaming past you, pants on fire, pursued by a man
Floyd | without pants whose hair is on fire. They disappear around a corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Post Office
Floyd | For a marble-coated civic bunker, it's a rather homey place. The one
Floyd | service window on a wall of mailboxes is shuttered with dull brass. An
Floyd | APM is installed opposite the window.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x apm"

Floyd | Nice kiosk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "use apm"

Floyd | You touch the screen to get started, and a progression of several
Floyd | dozen windows pop up over each each other, as if you've just won a
Floyd | game of nSolitare. The one that freezes on top for a moment says "nSys
Floyd | for Kiosk Error Number n + 7. Rebooting."
Floyd |
Floyd | The machine blinks and returns to its original state.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You open the nLap 500, which wakes the moment it begins to unfold.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Hey, this looks like the post office! In the old days, people used to
Floyd | go here to send mail and stuff!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | One of the things you liked about this job is the relative absence of
Floyd | heavy lifting.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "look"

Floyd |
Floyd | Post Office
Floyd | For a marble-coated civic bunker, it's a rather homey place. The one
Floyd | service window on a wall of mailboxes is shuttered with dull brass. An
Floyd | APM is installed opposite the window.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your stomach speaks to you in twangs of pain. Although you don't know
Floyd | Morse code, the jist of the message is that it would be a good idea to
Floyd | get something to eat soon.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x brass"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says (to Floyd), "x window"

Floyd | Such service windows have been used in the past to assist postal
Floyd | customers. This one is probably only opened for historical
Floyd | reenactments. You had best visit the APM if you'd like to interface
Floyd | with the postal system.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "haha"

DavidW says, "hmph"

jenrexrode says, "better eat"

DavidW asks, "Does wearing the helmet make a difference in what the APM displays?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "wear helmet"

Floyd | You once again don the strange helmet.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "use apm"

Floyd | You touch the screen to get started, and a progression of several
Floyd | dozen windows pop up over each each other, as if you've just won a
Floyd | game of nSolitare. The one that freezes on top for a moment says "nSys
Floyd | for Kiosk Error Number n + 7. Rebooting."
Floyd |
Floyd | The machine blinks and returns to its original state.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Maybe it works before the sand storm? I hope not."

DavidW says, "I've yet to get a clear sense of what the helmet changes for us."

VictorGijsbers says, "Only thing I have seen os that we don't see illusions of famous people anymore."

VictorGijsbers says, "Is"

DavidW asks, "What's in the Police Station?"

VictorGijsbers says, "I just started a local copy of the game, and the Post office does work in the morning."

VictorGijsbers says, "But you just get a 1 dollar coin."

DavidW asks, "oh, it's an alternate source of the coin?"

VictorGijsbers says, "Yep, I think so."

DavidW says, "I guess you can get it either from the bank _or_ the APM."

DavidW says, "Which suggests it's needed somewhere."

VictorGijsbers says, "One other thing that is explicitly mentioned on the spoilery map is the mouse in the restaurant."

DavidW says, "hm. I don't remember doing anything with the mouse or even what it was. That went by quickly."

VictorGijsbers says, "Let's check it out."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | The scheme of the city, and your previous wanderings, suggest to you
Floyd | that the incinerator isn't likely to be plopped down here in the
Floyd | middle of town.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & First
Floyd | The clothing store Niche Threads is to the northeast, while a fire
Floyd | station is across from it on the southeast corner. To the southwest is
Floyd | the tall, cylindrical, and multicolored Medical Center Plaza. What
Floyd | dominates the intersection, though, is the swooping MuseRoom, to the
Floyd | northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Second
Floyd | Proud Pie is on the northeast corner. The multi-level grocery store to
Floyd | the southeast spans the block down Abalone. To the southwest is the
Floyd | concrete RelOfCoTn building, a typical nWare structure. An apartment
Floyd | building, The Peachtree, is northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | A miniature ambulance whisks by at a frightening speed, doing a donut
Floyd | before it peals out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | If you only knew how to attack a problem like this one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "kill mouse"

Floyd | If you only knew how to attack a problem like this one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "buy pizza"

Floyd | Food does seem like a good idea. You order some and prepare to focus
Floyd | completely on the meal, like Martha Stewart on her salad...
Floyd |
Floyd | You conclude your culinary experience.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "I think I'll call it quits for now."

DavidW asks, "So, it's just a giant stuffed mouse?"

VictorGijsbers asks, "Yes?"

DavidW says, "yeah, okay. We don't seem to be getting anywhere."

VictorGijsbers says, "'So we downloaded a map and a walkthrough.', says an IFDB review. But I cannot find a walkthrough."

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Coyote and Crown
Floyd | You'd think the sun never set on Azatlan from the interior of this
Floyd | sort of English-style pub that serves lots of food made of blue
Floyd | cornmeal. Behind the bar, the place is festooned with Union Jack
Floyd | bandanas, and there are tequila bottles and British and Irish beer
Floyd | taps.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bandanas"

Floyd | Ah, yes. The bad decor. There it is.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "buy tequila"

Floyd | You never drink on the job, which is too bad, because you could be
Floyd | paged at any time of day.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bar"

Floyd |
Floyd | Coyote and Crown
Floyd | You'd think the sun never set on Azatlan from the interior of this
Floyd | sort of English-style pub that serves lots of food made of blue
Floyd | cornmeal. Behind the bar, the place is festooned with Union Jack
Floyd | bandanas, and there are tequila bottles and British and Irish beer
Floyd | taps.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | Three people covered with flour and ink run down the street in tears,
Floyd | disappearing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fourth
Floyd | The local elementary school sits beside a gated playground to the
Floyd | northeast. Plywood closes off the site on the southeast corner, hiding
Floyd | whatever is being built there. The Pine and Elm, an apartment building
Floyd | you checked out and found just about identical to the Wild Palms, is
Floyd | southwest. On the northwest corner is an upscale variety store,
Floyd | MarMart.
Floyd |
Floyd | A sizable crowd of people wearing tye-dyed bedsheets babbles loudly,
Floyd | running past and away from you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Police Station
Floyd | A dark gray interior has never been so reassuring. There's a long
Floyd | black desk in the center of the room, centered on a long metal
Floyd | sculpture that is behind it. And it looks like we also have a desk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fourth
Floyd | The local elementary school sits beside a gated playground to the
Floyd | northeast. Plywood closes off the site on the southeast corner, hiding
Floyd | whatever is being built there. The Pine and Elm, an apartment building
Floyd | you checked out and found just about identical to the Wild Palms, is
Floyd | southwest. On the northwest corner is an upscale variety store,
Floyd | MarMart.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've barely noticed it, thanks to the way the streetlights have
Floyd | gradually filled in for the departing sun, but night has fallen.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd | The shoe store is not open right now. Looks like it opens at ten.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Public Char
Floyd | The dining room strikes an admirable balance between elegance and
Floyd | comfort, making this a delicious and elegant escape from the hustle
Floyd | and bustle of nTopia.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers goes home.

DavidW says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a loud and sudden microphone-tapping sound, followed by the
Floyd | shriek of feedback.
Floyd |
Floyd | ATTENTION, this is not an emergency. But there will be a demonstration
Floyd | of a project involving new technologies in just a few minutes. It may
Floyd | possibly result in some unusual irregularities. Don't be alarmed.
Floyd | Thank you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The civil alert system crackles back into silence.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Scales
Floyd | It's all orange inside, too, with rounded booths of different sizes
Floyd | cut into the walls. The place is a sort of large-scale bento box,
Floyd | outfitted so that it will be safe during hunting season.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | A warning shriek sounds, almost inside your head -- it's the helmet.
Floyd | "OVERLOAD," a stupidly calm voice says. The SimulacCam splits right
Floyd | down the middle, along the line of your nose, and falls, shattering on
Floyd | the ground.
Floyd |
Floyd | A coming screams across the ceiling.
Floyd |
Floyd | All that you can see flickers into reverse video; even worse is the
Floyd | reverse audio, pure sound everywhere except for the globs of silence
Floyd | shrieked from innumerable mouths, your own one of these. The tongue
Floyd | cannot say what tastes and smells visit you. Your skin is crawling all
Floyd | over the ants. The round is world.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sixteen years later you arise from catatonia to play a single game of
Floyd | ping pong against a silentious Native American. It is a moment that
Floyd | Oliver Sacks would have written touchingly about. But the moment does
Floyd | not last.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 9 of the 10
Floyd | tasks assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "quit"

Floyd |

Floyd asks, "That game over already? It was just getting good. Wanna play another?"

DavidW says, "I'm done for now. Guess I'll try it on my own later."

DavidW has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.

genericgeekgirl disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.

EmacsUser says, "Hmm. I see that I have poor timing."

EmacsUser says, "(having just caught up)"

DavidW says, "You didn't miss much. Victor and I futzed around but found nothing new or helpful."

Tale asks, "I thought CF happens on Saturdays?"

DavidW says, "It does. This was a continuation of yesterday's session."

EmacsUser says, "Hmm. I probably won't play on my own, since I'm sure that I would just lengthen the transcript without getting anywhere."

EmacsUser disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.

DavidW says, "I may play on my own later, if only so I can see the damn time of day on the status line."

VictorGijsbers arrives, full of fun, but no funk.

VictorGijsbers asks, "Did you manage to finish the game?"

EmacsUser says, "No; by the time I caught up, everyone has left."

DavidW says (to Victor), "I didn't continue."

EmacsUser says, "There I go with the semicolons again."

DavidW says, "I have other things to do if everyone leaves."

VictorGijsbers says, "Right. I found a post on rec.games which claims we can change our dollar in the arcade itself."

EmacsUser asks, "Oh?"

EmacsUser arrives, full of neither funk nor fun.

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd says (to EmacsUser), "Floyd doesn't know that trick."

DavidW says, "I saw nothing to help us do that. And I did try."

DavidW arrives, full of funk, but no fun.

VictorGijsbers says, "I know, but Richard Bos wrote: 'The means for that is available in the arcade itself. Examine everything.'"

EmacsUser asks, "Do we have a save after the coin and near the arcade?"

DavidW says, "If true, then excuse me if I say 'fuck'."

VictorGijsbers asks, "Maybe save 10 will do for this?"

DavidW says, "Because I didn't see a change machine or operator or ANYTHING to let us exchange our coin for quarters."

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 ServerRoom
Floyd | You're getting to that point in your life where all the server rooms
Floyd | start to look the same. And it looks like we also have the F9 server.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | F9 Floor
Floyd | The building seems to be almost completely occupied by this one huge
Floyd | room. There's an opening to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus South
Floyd | The south part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. You particularly note F7, which you're
Floyd | cleared to enter, to the northwest. And to the southeast is the
Floyd | enigmatic F9.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Third Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | There are loads of games that look familiar but uncompelling. Looking
Floyd | through them, you find only one standout: LlamaFight 2000, a true
Floyd | classic.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x walls"

Floyd | Actually the squares covering the walls aren't all squares. You now
Floyd | see that one of them is a rectangle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x rectangle"

Floyd | This panel really looks a lot like the rest of the wall, but close
Floyd | inspection allows you to make out a faint trace of the word "TOKENS,"
Floyd | apparently painted on using some pigment that isn't quite in the
Floyd | visible spectrum.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the center of the token panel you notice a small, dark maw.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "OMG."

DavidW says, "Goddammit"

EmacsUser asks, "What?"

EmacsUser exclaims, "!"

DavidW says, "That's really shitty."

VictorGijsbers says, "This is rather unfair, in a game that never implements its scenery."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "put coin in maw"

Floyd | The coin vanishes into the maw. Below it, a tray pops open and a token
Floyd | flips out into the air. In a feat of tremendous physical prowess, you
Floyd | manage to catch it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "put token in slot"

Floyd |
Floyd | You drop the token into the slot and hear the satisfying giggle of the
Floyd | machine registering a credit. Eagerly, you press the player one button
Floyd | and watch the introductory sequence.
Floyd |
Floyd | Just as the first fight is about to begin, some twelve-year-old kid
Floyd | with a bowl haircut slips into place beside you, deposits a token, and
Floyd | presses the player two button.
Floyd |
Floyd | "ENTERING SMACKDOWN MODE," the machine says.
Floyd |
Floyd | "My mouth says hello," says the boy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You're playing it, oh yeah.
Floyd |
Floyd | You're just barely able to crouch and block as Floofta powers into a
Floyd | helicopter kick.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Governments are pesky," the kid says. "Sure, corporations are
Floyd | ascendant, but governments still have some power, and nWare would love
Floyd | to be able to command that power."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | The kid stands impassively facing his side of the arcade cabinet, face
Floyd | lit by the psychedelic glow of the machine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Floofta hurls an enormous hairball which flattens and stupefies you.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You get the idea," the kid says. "That's what everyone is working on
Floyd | here. That's what you're working on, although you almost certainly
Floyd | don't know it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "So now some random kid is telling us what the city is all about?"

DavidW says, "yup"

jenrexrode says, "oh, progress in my absence"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "play game"

Floyd | You're playing it, oh yeah.
Floyd |
Floyd | You rally. It's like Ali in round eight against Foreman. You're
Floyd | landing all sorts of kicks and punches on Floofta.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Rallies, meetings, the State of the Union address -- it will all be
Floyd | simulated," the kid, still oddly calm, tells you. "And nWare will run
Floyd | it all."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "play game"

Floyd | You're playing it, oh yeah.
Floyd |
Floyd | Floofta spins around and answers with a series of punishing blows that
Floyd | prove decisive.
Floyd |
Floyd | "FINISH HIM!" the game proclaims, as poor Llamo wobbles there
Floyd | non-interactively.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I'm not telling you that you should do anything differently, that you
Floyd | should try to look around and stop what's going on," they kid says.
Floyd | "No, no. But just so you know what you've gotten yourself into."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to jenrexrode), "I found a spoiler that told us we could change the coin in the arcade. There was a 'hidden' coin vending machine."

jenrexrode exclaims, "bah!"

DavidW asks, "Why would it be hidden? WHY?"

VictorGijsbers says, "You had to examine the wall tiles."

jenrexrode says, "ah"

VictorGijsbers says, "And one of them turned out to be a vending machine."

DavidW says, "Come to our arcade but DON'T PLAY ANYTHING BECAUSE WE HIDE THE TOKEN MACHINE."

jenrexrode says, "heh"

VictorGijsbers says, "And only accept coins even though the whole city runs on credit cards."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "play game"

Floyd | You're playing it, oh yeah.
Floyd |
Floyd | Rather than delivering the coup de grace, the kid slaps a token down
Floyd | on the machine and runs off, disappearing.
Floyd |
Floyd | "GAME OVER," the machine says. Even the winner doesn't get to continue
Floyd | after a game in smackdown mode. Just like in real life.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "x token"

Floyd | Actually, how could you have mistaken this for a token, even though
Floyd | that's the only thing that a normal person would slap down on a video
Floyd | game cabinet? It's not a token at all. It's some sort of high
Floyd | proprietary Allen wrench.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't even describe the strange polygon through which this Allen
Floyd | wrench has been extruded, and which it is designed to fit into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "take allen"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "take token"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "This game makes no sense at all."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "take wrench"

Floyd | You conduct the acquisition.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf16"

jenrexrode exclaims, "yay, the tool!"

VictorGijsbers says, "The kid has now given us the wrench we need to open the tunnel."

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: ( Ok. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser asks, "So, to the tunnel?"

DavidW asks, "So that unlocks the ... I've forgotten where that is. Under City Hall?"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Third
Floyd | To the northeast are the miniature tree-spotted hills of nTopia's
Floyd | park. On the southeast corner is the police station. A Starbucks is on
Floyd | the southwest corner. Neon signs and flashing screens glint from the
Floyd | establishment to the northwest, Arcadia Ego.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fourth
Floyd | The local elementary school sits beside a gated playground to the
Floyd | northeast. Plywood closes off the site on the southeast corner, hiding
Floyd | whatever is being built there. The Pine and Elm is southwest. On the
Floyd | northwest corner is an upscale variety store, MarMart.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | A miniature ambulance whisks by at a frightening speed, doing a donut
Floyd | before it peals out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Back
Floyd | Two uncannily clean but industrial-looking buildings sit on either
Floyd | side of Eel to the north. Back Street runs right along the railing
Floyd | that bounds the city to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have come to the edge of the plateau on which nTopia is built. Far
Floyd | below, past the railing, is the desert plain, stretching from reddish
Floyd | white to white, scraggled here and there with gray. The sky is lapis
Floyd | lazuli. Some highway stretches far off from east to west, as if it
Floyd | were an imperfect reflection of a line on a map.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "We've already taken out the defective disk, but not yet gotten the new one."

EmacsUser says, "Ah, so we can get the panel lifter without much trouble."

VictorGijsbers says, "Yep."

VictorGijsbers says, "I have to start up the map again."

Ellison arrives, ready to play with the toys.

EmacsUser asks, "nw, no?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Incinerator
Floyd | There's some corrugated steel-with-cinderblock-accents thing going on
Floyd | here. The floor ends to the west, where smoke and wailing rise from a
Floyd | pit. And it looks like we also have a double-cup panel lifter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take lifter"

Floyd | You conduct the acquisition.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison asks, "how has it been going? what have you figured out?"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "out"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Back
Floyd | Two uncannily clean but industrial-looking buildings sit on either
Floyd | side of Eel to the north. Back Street runs right along the railing
Floyd | that bounds the city to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | While there is a great view over there, the sheer drop of a hundred
Floyd | feet or so makes it impossible to go in that direction, except
Floyd | fatally.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Eel...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Fifth
Floyd | To the northeast is Public Char. A Starbucks is on the southeast
Floyd | corner. A complex of tall apartment buildings, The Planar Forest, is
Floyd | southwest. To the northwest is a shoe store.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Fifth Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | A sizable crowd of people wearing tye-dyed bedsheets babbles loudly,
Floyd | running past and away from you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall Server Room
Floyd | There are just the usual racks here. The rest of the room is bare,
Floyd | with the usual drop ceilings and the usual raised floor providing a
Floyd | contrast to the unusual wooden walls outside. And it looks like we
Floyd | also have Sophie.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "lift floor"

Floyd | Using the double-cup panel lifter somewhat more strenuously than you
Floyd | really should have to, you wiggle part of the floor open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take off helmet"

Floyd | You take off the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "we have the allen wrench we needed in the crawlspace"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "d"

Floyd | There's a curious amount of space under the floor to the north. You
Floyd | scoot into it.
Floyd |
Floyd | Darkness
Floyd | The darkness here may be the only profound thing in nTopia.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "open computer"

Floyd | You open the nLap 500, which wakes the moment it begins to unfold.
Floyd |
Floyd | Passage
Floyd | Sometimes a horrifying conspiracy lives beneath the surface of
Floyd | reality. Sometimes, just a cramped crawlspace like this one, lacking
Floyd | even the dust that most such spaces have. And it looks like we also
Floyd | have an overhead ventilation grill.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "ah, good"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x grill"

Floyd | It seems to be fastened with some screws or bolts, whatever the
Floyd | difference is, that are of surreal or alien design. No mass-market
Floyd | device is going to open this.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "open grill with wrench"

Floyd | You wield the highly proprietary Allen wrench for a while, alternating
Floyd | between hope and frustration, and finally manage to open the grill.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "yay"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "enter grill"

Floyd | You break into the office above like a tech support commando. Time to
Floyd | fix those wiretaps so the boss can figure out what the Democrats have
Floyd | been up to! Or, time to steal back that list of Resistance members'
Floyd | names! Or, time to enter yet another uninteresting commercial, retail,
Floyd | or institutional space!
Floyd |
Floyd | Office
Floyd | This would be an impressive and luxurious office, if it had some
Floyd | furniture and stuff in it. It doesn't look like the place is occupied
Floyd | -- except, occasionally, by trespassers. There's an exit underneath
Floyd | you and a door through which a bit of light filters in. Disturbing the
Floyd | minimalist appearance of the room is a garish fake bookcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "x bookcase"

Floyd | Upon closer inspection, the fake bookcase is definitely fake, as if it
Floyd | were designed to reassure people that the occupant of this office
Floyd | doesn't spend his or her time reading.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "mmm fake bookcase"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf17"

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: ( Ok. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison asks, "I take it, on one of the playthroughs, you saw the conversation during the sandstorm? did you guys find the use for the stick?"

DavidW says, "Not yet."

VictorGijsbers says, "Nope."

VictorGijsbers asks, "And I didn't see a conversation, I think?"

EmacsUser says, "No, we've not seen that conversation."

DavidW says, "I don't remember the conversation."

DavidW says, "I can't take notes during CF."

jenrexrode says, "i think our save is post sandstorm"

Ellison says, "I think if you are in a public place (like a restaurant) during the sandstorm, something happens"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "pull bookcase"

Floyd | You can't.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "x books"

Floyd | There aren't any books here -- the bookcase is all one piece, and the
Floyd | things that look like books in it are not really books.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "yeah, and we were in the airport server room"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "push bookcase"

Floyd | You can't.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "search bookcase"

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "look behind it"

Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "(your game is still winnable; all of this other stuff is just extra)"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x desk"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd |
Floyd | Office
Floyd | This would be an impressive and luxurious office, if it had some
Floyd | furniture and stuff in it. It doesn't look like the place is occupied
Floyd | -- except, occasionally, by trespassers. There's an exit underneath
Floyd | you and a door through which a bit of light filters in. Disturbing the
Floyd | minimalist appearance of the room is a garish fake bookcase.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "open door"

Floyd | The door won't open. This must be some kind of fire code violation.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Aha."

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "l"

Floyd |
Floyd | Office
Floyd | This would be an impressive and luxurious office, if it had some
Floyd | furniture and stuff in it. It doesn't look like the place is occupied
Floyd | -- except, occasionally, by trespassers. There's an exit underneath
Floyd | you and a door through which a bit of light filters in. Where the
Floyd | bookcase used to be is a person-sized cylinder, open on the front.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "x cylinder"

Floyd | The sight awakens one of your few pleasant childhood memories: Sitting
Floyd | in comfort in the forward-facing car seat on the passenger side, you
Floyd | went to the drive-through bank and received a delicious blue candy,
Floyd | which arrived in a pneumatic tube that looked like a smaller version
Floyd | of this cylinder.
Floyd |
Floyd | Anyway. If this is where the Controller is supposed to reside in
Floyd | suspended animation, directing the city, then the genie is out of the
Floyd | bottle -- the lunatics are running the asylum -- there is no man
Floyd | behind the curtain.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "yay"

EmacsUser asks, "Uh, Controller?"

VictorGijsbers asks, "?"

EmacsUser says, "I think I'm missing another reference."

Ellison says, "Suspended reference"

DavidW asks, "Suspended ref?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take cylinder"

Floyd | That's not detachable.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "enter cylinder"

jenrexrode asks, "get in it?"

Floyd | You enter the cylinder. A voice is cued: "Escape canister will be
Floyd | ready for departure at approximately NINETEEN FORTY FIVE."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "wait"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "gee, and we dont know when that is"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "close canister"

Floyd | That's not something you can close.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser asks, "Um, do we > wait until 19:$5?"

EmacsUser asks, "Er, 19:45?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "wait until 19:45"

Floyd | That number wasn't understandable.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "wait an hour"

Floyd | That number wasn't understandable.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers asks, "Shall I just try a long string of z's?"

DavidW says (to Floyd), "wait 15"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "wait until nineteen forty five"

Floyd | That number wasn't understandable.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

jenrexrode says, "nah"

Ellison says, ">wait until 7:45 pm should work"

jenrexrode says, ";yeah"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "wait until 7:45 pm"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | I need to sleep now to preserve your valuable data and the integrity
Floyd | of your application state! Please recharge me soon!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window, and in fact the whole screen, winks to black.
Floyd |
Floyd | This is actually really bad, because you now realize that you lost the
Floyd | transformer for the nLap at some point on Friday.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says, "oops, forgot to close it."

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "wait until 7:45 pm"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd | The room is suddenly sealed off from you -- the cylinder has closed.
Floyd | You feel the cylinder, and yourself, make a thumpy squiggle.
Floyd |
Floyd | You seem to be moving.
Floyd |
Floyd | -- you've been jarred from your idle waiting.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | A few verses from the Yoyodyne Songbook well outward from your being
Floyd | and into the air, which surprises even you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "jump"

Floyd | You jump a good half inch, which is all there's room for.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "close nlap"

Floyd | You close the nLap 500.
Floyd |
Floyd | The cylinder shudders as if coming to a halt. It does something a bit
Floyd | less graceful than sliding open and a bit more graceful than blowing
Floyd | open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says, "Heh."

Ellison says (to Floyd), "pray"

Floyd | Seems like as good a time as any to embrace the supernatural. You
Floyd | mutter a quick petition to Azathoth.
Floyd |
Floyd | The floor-part of this cylinder tips, urging you to exit. So you trip
Floyd | out of the canister.
Floyd |
Floyd | Once you've extricated yourself, the cylinder, bereft of payload,
Floyd | seals itself again. It wooshes away, perhaps so as to be ready for
Floyd | another very important passenger.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Desert
Floyd | You learned in college geography that the desert is actually teeming
Floyd | with life. Except that isn't true of this place, which is simply a
Floyd | plain of white, barren sand. The desert is exceedingly empty. It seems
Floyd | that in the whole expanse there is nothing but one rock.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the rock is one man.
Floyd |
Floyd | Maybe he brought the rock himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hi," says the man. He gestures to your head. "Do you mind? That's a
Floyd | bit threatening."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "take off helmet"

Floyd | You take off the SimulacCam.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I suppose you're the only one who made it out this way," the man
Floyd | says. He shrugs. "Maybe the others will cope."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "SAVE"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "cf18"

Floyd | Enter saved game to store: ( Ok. )
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser asks, "Talk to the man?"

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "ask man about ntopia"

Floyd |
Floyd | "Save the questions," he says.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW says (to Floyd), "x man"

Floyd | He is wearing a Hugo Boss suit, legs crossed, fingers steepled in
Floyd | front of him. He looks at you with care. His features and complexion
Floyd | suggest that his ancestors lived in this country thousands of years
Floyd | ago.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You feel a tug within you, a subtle but literal reconfiguration of
Floyd | your system. Whatever it is that gripped you cannot hold you from
Floyd | here, however.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the high and far plateau nTopia pulses and swarms with realities, a
Floyd | time-lapse, space-lapse sculpture, root and rhizome. The city does not
Floyd | shape itself into some urban battlefield for the pleasure of unseen
Floyd | generals, or into some all-maddening hilarious face to be put on by
Floyd | warfighter and advertiser alike. No bread, no circuses, no clockwork
Floyd | demagogues can be discerned. If these are to be the true products of
Floyd | the nWare Media Division, the demo that transpires does not appear to
Floyd | promote them.
Floyd |
Floyd | Instead, the chessboard of the city sets itself into positions, the
Floyd | brick and mortar structures at play with ones more liquid. There are
Floyd | sprawling markets and office buildings like Jehovas, but also slums
Floyd | and huge estates, parks and wastes, a stadium and churches, water
Floyd | treatment plants, jails and prisons, pyramids, military bases,
Floyd | factories, all cities the city, one Babel of configurations, as if
Floyd | some intellect or algorithm, or both, were looking through them all to
Floyd | find the one most perfect.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Come on," the business-shaman says, "my car's at the Dairy Queen.
Floyd | Keep up a decent pace and we'll get there by nine, before they close.
Floyd | I'll buy you a Blizzard."
Floyd |
Floyd | Pisces, Cetus, Aquarius -- above nTopia churning are the
Floyd | constellations as you have seen them many times before. One moment of
Floyd | hesitation before turning to go, and the sky shudders. With that, the
Floyd | final touch is added, the augmentation complete. The dark has been
Floyd | pierced through again by some artist, some fellow employee, and you
Floyd | see them just as you saw them laid out before: The Cradle, The Way,
Floyd | The Burning Book.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On your last day of work in nTopia you accomplished 8 of the 10 tasks
Floyd | assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "I believe that's the same ending you get even if you've done 10 out of 10 tasks"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd | The floor-part of this cylinder tips, urging you to exit. So you trip
Floyd | out of the canister.
Floyd |
Floyd | Once you've extricated yourself, the cylinder, bereft of payload,
Floyd | seals itself again. It wooshes away, perhaps so as to be ready for
Floyd | another very important passenger.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Desert
Floyd | You learned in college geography that the desert is actually teeming
Floyd | with life. Except that isn't true of this place, which is simply a
Floyd | plain of white, barren sand. The desert is exceedingly empty. It seems
Floyd | that in the whole expanse there is nothing but one rock.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the rock is one man.
Floyd |
Floyd | Maybe he brought the rock himself.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hi," says the man. He gestures to your head. "Do you mind? That's a
Floyd | bit threatening."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "z"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd | ( You can also use commands such as WAIT 10 MINUTES and WAIT UNTIL 10
Floyd | AM. )
Floyd |
Floyd | Without standing, the man reaches inside his suit coat and immediately
Floyd | produces something pistol-like but plastic, with a bright yellow tip.
Floyd | Several hours later you awaken in this same spot, alone and quite
Floyd | uncertain about your future.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 8 of the 10
Floyd | tasks assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Huh."

Ellison says (to jenrexrode), "pretty sure it's the same ending. if anything, I'd go further back so you guys can see some of the other stuff you missed."

Ellison asks, "which way did you guys get the dollar coin?"

VictorGijsbers says, "This was a weird game."

DavidW says, "The bank"

VictorGijsbers says, "Bank, but I also did the post office."

Ellison says, "something that wasn't clear to me is that all kiosks are touchable, yeah."

DavidW asks, "They are?"

DavidW says, "To me, a kiosk is just an oversized box where a person can stand inside it."

DavidW says, "So touching a kiosk makes as much sense as touching a wall."

Ellison says (to DW), "yeah, I guess they mean the 21st century connotation where it's the electronic thing like at airports"

jenrexrode says, "information kiosks"

DavidW says, "Well, if he means that, he should say so."

Ellison says, "yeah"

DavidW says, "There's no way to guess that inference."

Ellison says, "I also ran into some bugs but feel weird about submitting 6 year old bug reports"

VictorGijsbers says, "This game could have been a little more friendly for the player."

DavidW says (to Victor), "I agree."

Ellison says, "also, judging by the textdump, there's a whole lot of special cases for things if you try to do things without your pager (which most players will never see)"

jenrexrode asks, "oh, so you drop it somewhere?"

EmacsUser asks, "Why didn't we think of that before?"

Ellison says, "yeah, if you drop it... then you can't withdraw money, you can't enter a lot of places, etc."

EmacsUser asks, "Can you drop it an then lock yourself out?"

EmacsUser says, "Er, and"

jenrexrode says, "i guess that's the point of the keytt"

jenrexrode says, "-tt"

Ellison says, "anyhow, things to try: sitting on the furniture in Independent Grounds (the place replaced by a Starbucks later in the game), being in a public place during the sandstorm, and there's more to do in the pizza place on Abelone (something Pie)"

DavidW says, "We tried to do stuff with the mouse, but found nothing useful."

VictorGijsbers says, "We tried to do something with the mouse, but didn't manage to."

EmacsUser asks, "The nStick, maybe? Did we try that?"

Ellison says, "Proud Pie"

EmacsUser says, "I should have kept my scrollback from yesterday."

DavidW says (to EmacsUser), "There was nothing obvious to try."

Ellison says, "if you're holding the right object, it makes it pretty obvious what to try"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | Airport
Floyd | nAir flies direct from here to Seattle, San Jose, Austin, and Boston,
Floyd | with trips to less geeky destinations being more circuitous. They seem
Floyd | to have forgotten to give this place the air of a big-city airport. It
Floyd | looks more like a large metal barn, with little but a kiosk in this
Floyd | main space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Past security, to the north, you can see a handful of gates, which are
Floyd | actually gates in a fence. A subtle door to the east leads to the
Floyd | Airport's server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Hey, this looks like the airport! You can get on a plane here and go
Floyd | somewhere else! After you purchase a ticket, after you get your
Floyd | manager's approval for vacation time, and so forth!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

VictorGijsbers says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Front
Floyd | It's the gateway to nTopia. The airport is north through a tall
Floyd | rectangular arch that is topped with red flashing lights. On the
Floyd | southeast corner is the visitor center. Southwest is a Starbucks.
Floyd |
Floyd | There seems to be no trace of whatever sand was blowing all around,
Floyd | unless some of the buildings now have a slightly glossier finish.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & First
Floyd | The clothing store Niche Threads is to the northeast, while a fire
Floyd | station is across from it on the southeast corner. To the southwest is
Floyd | the tall, cylindrical, and multicolored Medical Center Plaza. What
Floyd | dominates the intersection, though, is the swooping MuseRoom, to the
Floyd | northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Abalone...
Floyd |
Floyd | Abalone & Second
Floyd | Proud Pie is on the northeast corner. The multi-level grocery store to
Floyd | the southeast spans the block down Abalone. To the southwest is the
Floyd | concrete RelOfCoTn building, a typical nWare structure. An apartment
Floyd | building, The Peachtree, is northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "but judging by the textdump, there are several things that don't seem to be properly triggered in this game. there's supposed to be a policeman in the police station that I've never seen."

Ellison says, "so, of course, the mouse is now saying things the diorama was supposed to have said. unfortunately, it doesn't help the player out very much."

VictorGijsbers says, "As to purpose, meaning, basic design goals..."

Ellison says (to Floyd), "open panel"

Floyd | The shuffling mouse both dodges and blocks, preventing you from
Floyd | opening the panel.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Did you know that the first mouse pointer was actually called a bug?"
Floyd | the mouse asks, obviously rhetorically. "And the first mouse was
Floyd | called -- a mouse!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW asks, "There's no particular reason either why a mystery gadget from the City Hall's diorama ought to be inserted into a pizza parlour's stuffed mouse, is there?"

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & Second
Floyd | The marquee of the Bastion Theater is northeast and the blank stare of
Floyd | 0th Bank diagonally across to the southwest. Speaking of the
Floyd | Southwest, the bad Southwestern art of the Coyote and Crown howls from
Floyd | the northwest corner. A pleasant absence of city is southeast, where
Floyd | the fake hills of nTopia's park roll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Second
Floyd | Main runs along the west edge of the nWare Media Campus. To the
Floyd | northwest is a Starbucks. The glass cube of the nWare Store sits on a
Floyd | park-like plot to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | The sudden clamor and rush of a crowd sends you helplessly to the
Floyd | ground. With a grinding pull, a battalion in green aprons hurls itself
Floyd | over you and into the structure on the southwest corner. Perhaps you
Floyd | glimpse a pair of stunned figures in black T-shirts inside, shivering
Floyd | behind a counter. Your vision seems to be obscured for a moment by a
Floyd | milky steam.
Floyd |
Floyd | You stand, finally, unsure about what you seem to have witnessed,
Floyd | unsure about whether or not to hope it was real.
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | The sun beats down mercilessly, straining against nTopia's municipal
Floyd | climate control system.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

DavidW asks, "But why would the stick be in the diorama? What's the story reason?"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Foyer
Floyd | This particularly uninviting room may have been included simply to
Floyd | reassure those without proper clearance that they are in the wrong
Floyd | place. To the north is the building's main floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gus stands here. His eyes dart around as if tracing deep scratches on
Floyd | the walls, perhaps made by an imaginary axe.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd | You're not cleared to enter the building over there. Although you work
Floyd | for nWare, the subdivisions of the Media division are pretty much
Floyd | walled off from each other.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "w"

Floyd | You head west on Second Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Second
Floyd | Main runs along the west edge of the nWare Media Campus. To the
Floyd | northwest is a Starbucks. The glass cube of the nWare Store sits on a
Floyd | park-like plot to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. A Starbucks is on the southeast corner. There is a
Floyd | coffeehouse called "Independent Grounds" to the southwest. Another
Floyd | Starbucks is on the northwest corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You take a comfy seat.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you sat down you noticed a woman in a smart suit and guy who is
Floyd | wearing a trucker cap, apparently ironically. You can't see them now,
Floyd | but you catch a snippet of their conversation.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Apparently there's an escape system for government officials. The
Floyd | mayor and so on."
Floyd |
Floyd | "We don't have any government officials here."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Right. I bet they all escaped."
Floyd |
Floyd | Involuntarily, you turn to look at the pair. They are already
Floyd | standing, and quickly head outside and out of sight.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says, "Huh."

Ellison says, "that's a weird one (like, who is going to see that naturally?)"

EmacsUser says, "Well, we did think about visiting it after we saw the starbucks stampede. Just not before."

Ellison says, "Gus is after the sandstorm, right? I don't remember"

Ellison says (to Floyd), "use computer"

Floyd | Righteous. Everything actually compiled and built successfully. You
Floyd | install the update.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "use computer"

Floyd | Deftly you request a photo of Gus for purposes of positive ID, reset
Floyd | his account, and store in your short-term memory his
Floyd | cryptic-yet-memorable temporary password. Now you just need to share
Floyd | this important bit of information with Gus, and you'll have executed
Floyd | your responsibilities most gloriously.
Floyd |
Floyd | And people wonder why you fantasize about being a astronaut.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd | You get off the overstuffed furnishing.
Floyd |
Floyd | Independent Grounds
Floyd | A bunch of overstuffed furniture, shipped in from somewhere other than
Floyd | Sweden, sits askew in here. There's a big sculptural object toward one
Floyd | corner that must be used for roasting coffee beans or something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. A Starbucks is on the southeast corner. There is a
Floyd | coffeehouse called "Independent Grounds" to the southwest. Another
Floyd | Starbucks is on the northwest corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Campus North
Floyd | The north part of the campus is deceptively pleasant, with nWare Media
Floyd | buildings scattered about. Specifically, F2 is to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "ne"

Floyd |
Floyd | F2 Foyer
Floyd | This particularly uninviting room may have been included simply to
Floyd | reassure those without proper clearance that they are in the wrong
Floyd | place. To the north is the building's main floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gus stands here. He laughs at your puny gesture.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "tell gus about password"

Floyd | You tell Gus his cryptic-yet-memorable temporary password.
Floyd |
Floyd | His face lights up with some combination of relief and prophetic
Floyd | rapture. He pulls a miniscule PDA from one of the pockets on his
Floyd | photographer's vest and taps happily, presumably gaining access.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | Some glitch, neurological or digital, causes Gus to scream "ODYSSEUS"
Floyd | and run toward the exit. This involves his running right over you,
Floyd | knocking you down. Your head strikes the floor in a painless and
Floyd | consciousness-eliminating way.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | "... tests were, again, all just fine," some woman in a doctor costume
Floyd | tells you. Or maybe she is a doctor. You're both walking along an
Floyd | aqua-colored corridor now. There are pictures of semi-rigid airships
Floyd | on the walls. "You shouldn't have any problems except perhaps for a
Floyd | bit of short-term memory loss, but if you do have any other trouble,
Floyd | come back and tell it to the kiosk. Oh, and you'll want this back."
Floyd | She hands you your pager, which, annoyingly, is buzzing and vibrating.
Floyd | "Take care!"
Floyd |
Floyd | You find yourself here in the lobby.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Torres Quevedo Memorial Hospital
Floyd | The shuffling of those in despair, the rapid, professional pace of the
Floyd | strained nurses and assistants, the occasional groan -- all of these
Floyd | are absent, since this pale green lobby, curiously, holds no one
Floyd | besides yourself. It's also completely without furnishings, except for
Floyd | a kiosk, placed dead center.
Floyd |
Floyd | Remembering the menu of health insurance options that you were
Floyd | presented, you congratulate yourself on buying the extended warranty
Floyd | on yourself.
Floyd |
Floyd | The pager buzzes and jars you, its motor driven to disrupt and demand
Floyd | attention.
Floyd |
Floyd | A window pops up in the lower right corner of your nLap. In it, the
Floyd | uncanny red stapler wiggles its hinged head to the accompaniment of a
Floyd | cheery robot voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Hey, this looks like the hospital! This is where you can go if you're
Floyd | sick! If you're really sick, sometimes emergency medical workers will
Floyd | helpfully bring you here!
Floyd |
Floyd | The window winks away.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "touch kiosk"

Floyd | As you approach, the kiosk says "If you are here because of an
Floyd | emergency, say 'EMERGENCY' or press the corresponding button."
Floyd |
Floyd | You touch the screen to get started, and a progression of several
Floyd | dozen windows pop up over each each other, as if you've just won a
Floyd | game of nSolitare. The one that freezes on top for a moment says "nSys
Floyd | for Kiosk Error Number n + 7. Rebooting."
Floyd |
Floyd | The machine blinks and returns to its original state.
Floyd |
Floyd | The pager vibrates like it's repeatedly tapping you to get your
Floyd | attention, and it buzzes gratingly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "there also is some way to get committed somehow. I haven't found it, though."

Ellison says (to Floyd), "push button"

Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | Gus needs his password reset now. Immediately. At the current time.
Floyd | Sorry it's so early. Also, be nice to him when you walk over and
Floyd | deliver his new password, since this weekend has been rough on
Floyd | everyone. He's in F2 and I'm now having your nPediment privileges set
Floyd | so you can walk right in there and find him. Thanks for rebooting the
Floyd | machines, by the way.
Floyd |
Floyd | It is, of course, Wilbur.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beep issues from the pager, then a voice:
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an automatic report about how you got owned, champ. That's
Floyd | right, one of your machines is puking out denial of service packets
Floyd | and needs to be offlined immediately. Better get it off your network
Floyd | before somebody other than a robot tells you about it. The victim is
Floyd | Sophie.
Floyd |
Floyd | It sounds like the perky cousin of that stupid stapler.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "hold button"

Floyd | The pager emits a low beep after you hold the button down for about a
Floyd | second and a half.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "x text file"

Floyd | A compulsive glance at the text file that holds your notes reassures
Floyd | you about the locations of the five servers: Wendy, at RelOfCoTn,
Floyd | Abalone and Second; Nora, in the airport; Ester, in the East Berm;
Floyd | Sophie, in City Hall, on the south end of Main; and Cindy, in F7 on
Floyd | the main campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | Eel & First
Floyd | The Gap gapes on the northeast corner. A place called "Ice Planet" is
Floyd | southeast. To the southwest is a convenience store, ShopLite. The
Floyd | cheerful block of the nTopia Hospital occupies the remaining corner,
Floyd | to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "e"

Floyd | You head east on First Street...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & First
Floyd | A Starbucks is to the northeast. The post office on the southwest
Floyd | corner looks as distinguished as a mausoleum. The urban idiom fails on
Floyd | the northwest corner, where a restaurant sits like a ranch house on a
Floyd | little plot of desert. Opposite it, a path leads onto the nWare Media
Floyd | Campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Second
Floyd | Main runs along the west edge of the nWare Media Campus. To the
Floyd | northwest is a Starbucks. The glass cube of the nWare Store sits on a
Floyd | park-like plot to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | A woman on an oversized skateboard zooms past, pulling a Jack Russell
Floyd | terrier on a normal-sized skateboard.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | The sudden clamor and rush of a crowd sends you helplessly to the
Floyd | ground. With a grinding pull, a battalion in green aprons hurls itself
Floyd | over you and into the structure on the southwest corner. Perhaps you
Floyd | glimpse a pair of stunned figures in black T-shirts inside, shivering
Floyd | behind a counter. Your vision seems to be obscured for a moment by a
Floyd | milky steam.
Floyd |
Floyd | You stand, finally, unsure about what you seem to have witnessed,
Floyd | unsure about whether or not to hope it was real.
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser asks, "Wait, so the password for Gus was really the last straw to send him to insanity?"

Ellison says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an

EmacsUser asks, "And we delivered it?"

Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says, "yeah, who knows. I think it's mainly just a Zork reference."

Ellison says (to Floyd), "se"

Floyd | You head through the door and into the server room.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall Server Room
Floyd | There are just the usual racks here. The rest of the room is bare,
Floyd | with the usual drop ceilings and the usual raised floor providing a
Floyd | contrast to the unusual wooden walls outside. And it looks like we
Floyd | also have Sophie.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "hold button"

Floyd | ( That is, "hold the server's red button." )
Floyd |
Floyd | You hold the server's button in a for a while, and the box whines to a
Floyd | halt, falling silent. When you release the button, the server remains
Floyd | lifeless.
Floyd |
Floyd | You get that satisfied feeling that you usually get after
Floyd | accomplishing a work-related task.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd | You head out through the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | City Hall
Floyd | The interior walls are of parquet hardwood, which would be the most
Floyd | remarkable thing about most city halls, but here we have this
Floyd | full-size diorama in the middle of the lobby with animatrons of
Floyd | Benjamin Franklin, John von Neumann, and shellf.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's also a subtle door here to the southeast, which wouldn't be
Floyd | noticeable to an onlooker who wasn't in the know.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You can't go that way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "nw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "n"

Floyd | You head north on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "sw"

Floyd |
Floyd | Supreme Food Court
Floyd | The food court is of the same vintage as the other buildings in
Floyd | nTopia, and seems not yet drinkable. Product and process have been
Floyd | licensed all around the main chamber, where people can sit, mostly
Floyd | alone, engaging their oral arguments.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "buy food"

Floyd | Food does seem like a good idea. You order some and prepare to focus
Floyd | completely on the meal, like Martha Stewart on her salad...
Floyd |
Floyd | A crackling sound comes, somehow, from all around.
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a test of the nTopia civil alert system. If this were actually
Floyd | a --
Floyd |
Floyd | The recorded voice breaks off.
Floyd |
Floyd | ATTENTION. This is actually not a test. This is an alert. Severe dust
Floyd | and wind conditions are anticipated. In a calm and orderly fashion,
Floyd | please find shelter indoors, or remain indoors if you are there
Floyd | already, and refer from going outside until further notice. Refrain.
Floyd | Refrain from going outside. Don't be nervous. High risk of death if
Floyd | you don't get indoors. Calmly. Get indoors. Immediately.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then there is quiet.
Floyd |
Floyd | You conclude your culinary experience.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's a granular howl from outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to Floyd), "wear helmet"

Floyd | Something that you're trying to refer to either hasn't ever been
Floyd | mentioned or is not currently in the area.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Ellison says (to jenrexrode), "that's what I was thinking just now (orignally, I thought she had her own helmet)"

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "z"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd | The harsh whistling sound continues.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I'm too far gone to help out on this one. I just gotta get out. Gotta
Floyd | escape. I think I have a way, but I can't take anyone with me."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "z"

Floyd | Time goes by.
Floyd |
Floyd | The harsh whistling sound continues.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I had to tell you about it before I went, though. Had to track you
Floyd | down. You're the last hope."
Floyd |
Floyd | >

Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Third
Floyd | Main runs along the western edge of the nWare Media Campus. Northwest
Floyd | of here, a bit of parkland holds the nWare store, a multi-story glass
Floyd | cube. The concrete structure to the southwest, labeled "Supreme Food
Floyd | Court," is less impressive. And it looks like we also have an
Floyd | enigmatic person in black.
Floyd |
Floyd | There seems to be no trace of whatever sand was blowing all around,
Floyd | unless some of the buildings now have a slightly glossier finish.
Floyd |
Floyd | The strange person who spoke to you rushes away to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fourth
Floyd | One corner of the nWare Media Campus is to the northeast, where a path
Floyd | affords entrance. There are Starbuckses on the other three corners.
Floyd | And it looks like we also have an enigmatic person in black.
Floyd |
Floyd | The strange person who spoke to you rushes away to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Fifth
Floyd | The building to the northeast houses "Scales," a restaurant. The
Floyd | government-looking neo-something architecture of City Hall offers an
Floyd | entryway to the southeast. On the southwest corner is "Wheel-Man," a
Floyd | personal transportation dealer. The final business here, to the
Floyd | northwest, is Mailboxes Ultra. And it looks like we also have an
Floyd | enigmatic person in black.
Floyd |
Floyd | The strange person who spoke to you rushes away to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "s"

Floyd | You head south on Main...
Floyd |
Floyd | Main & Back
Floyd | Back Street runs east behind City Hall here at the south end of
Floyd | nTopia. Eel is to the west. A warehouse is on the northwest corner.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have come to the edge of the plateau on which nTopia is built. Far
Floyd | below, past the railing, is the desert plain, stretching from reddish
Floyd | white to white, scraggled here and there with gray. The sky is lapis
Floyd | lazuli. Some highway stretches far off from east to west, as if it
Floyd | were an imperfect reflection of a line on a map. And it looks like we
Floyd | also have an enigmatic person in black.
Floyd |
Floyd | The strange person who spoke to you picks up an odd-looking parcel
Floyd | from somewhere. It instantly inflates around her and forms a sort of
Floyd | giant, clear hamster-ball. Your informant moves a bit and the curious
Floyd | conveyance tips over the railing. When you look down after it -- after
Floyd | her -- there is nothing there to be seen.
Floyd |
Floyd | >

EmacsUser says (to Floyd), "jump"

Floyd | You swing yourself over, like the distinguished gymnast you once were
Floyd | in your youth, to your parents' pride. Fortunately for your shattered
Floyd | corpse, the final destructive arc of your pager leads a search team to
Floyd | what used to be you, and, thanks to the marvels of technology, those
Floyd | remnants are given a proper burial.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | *** So it goes ***
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | On the last day of your working life you accomplished 8 of the 8 tasks
Floyd | assigned you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, give the FULL score
Floyd | for that game or QUIT?
Floyd | >